Previous, topmilitary official, in his cabinet. And rounding what corner . Trump touts the u. S. Is almost in the clear, when it comes to the deadly pandemic. But a new model predicts the countrys death toll would top 410,000, by the end of the year. Welcome, everyone. Lets start with that bombshell story in the atlantic magazine, that has triggered a flood of outrage and denial. President trump, pushing back, hard, on claims that he made insulting comments about u. S. Troops. And that he chose to skip an overseas ceremony, in 2018, honoring americans war dead. Now, on friday, mr. Trump suggested his former chief of staff, john kelly, couldve been behind, at least one, of the reports. Although, trump didnt accuse kelly, outright. But he did say the retired marine general was unfit for the job as trumps top aide. I know john kelly. He was with me. Didnt do a good job. Had no temperament. And ultimately, he was petered out. He got he was exhausted. This man was totally exhausted. He wasnt even able to function, in the last number of months. Well, john kellys son was, also, a marine and was killed in afghanistan. Mr. Trumps opponent in the november election responded, on friday, to all of this. Joe biden saying that, because of trumps welldocumented attacks of the late john mccains service in vietnam, he believes the report to be true and horrifying. If its true, and based on all the things he said, i believe the articles true. Id ask you all the rhetorical question. How do you feel . How would you feel, if you had a kid in afghanistan right now . How would you feel, if you lost a son, daughter, husband, wife . How would you feel . For real. I probably ive just never been as disappointed, in my whole career, with a leader that ive worked with, president or otherwise. Friday, the first lady, also, weighing in. Melania trump tweeting out that the atlantic story is untrue and calling it activism, rather than journalism. Now, several current and former white house staffers, also, say the story isnt true. But it is a story that is rattling american politics, with less than two months to go until the president ial election. Cnns Kaitlan Collins takes a deeper dive into the details, the denials, and the denunciation denunciations. Tonight, President Trump is forcefully denying a report that he referred to Fallen Soldiers as losers and suckers, and questioned why anyone would volunteer to serve in the military. It was a totally fake story. And that was confirmed, by many people who were actually there. His defense in the oval office, today, comes after he angrily denied the report last night, while shouting over the engines of air force one. For somebody to say the things that they say i said is a total lie. Its fake news. Its a disgrace. Citing four unnamed sources, the atlantic claims that trump cancelled a planned visit to a Paris Cemetery where american soldiers killed in world war i are buried because he didnt care about honoring the war dead. Asking senior staff, why should i go to that cemetery . Its filled with losers. Trump insisted the trip was scrapped because of weather. The helicopter could not fly. The reason it couldnt fly, because it was raining about as hard as ive ever seen. And on top of that, it was very, very foggy. The president said he called his wife, melania, to express his displeasure about not being able to attend. Though, the first lady was on the trip with him. The article, also, claims that when john mccain died, trump said, quote, were not going to support that losers funeral. And demanded to know why they had lowered the flags for an fing loser. I disagreed with john mccain but i still respected him. And i had to approve his funeral, as president. But the president did not acknowledge it took him two days to lower the flags after mccain died. Or how he attacked him publicly, for years. Hes a war hero because he was captured. I like people that werent captured. Okay . The atlantic report also claims trump asked staff not to include wounded veterans at an event because he feared people would feel uncomfortable. Reportedly, saying, quote, nobody wants to see that. The pushback from trumps allies has been sharp. And several aides who traveled with him to paris said it isnt true. Including, his former press secretary and other top staffers. It is absolutely damnable. It is a disgrace. Earlier today, an angry joe biden denounced President Trump over the reported comments. If these statements are true, the president should humbly apologize, to every goldstar mother and father and every bluestar family that hes denigrated and insulted. Who the heck does he think he is . Reporter bidens son, beau, served in iraq. Won the bronze star and other commendations. He wasnt a sucker. Reporter and at times, today, he became emotional. If its true, and based on all the things hes said, i believe the articles true. Id ask you all the rhetorical question. How do you feel . How would you feel, if you had a kid in afghanistan right now . Reporter during a rally at an airport hangar in pennsylvania, last night, the president mocked biden for wearing a mask so often. Did you ever see a man that likes a mask as much as him . Biden responded, today. Its hard to respond to something to idiotic. And the president , later, held a press briefing where he, once again, denied these reports. But singled out john kelly, his former chief of staff, who was on that trip with the president to paris in november of 2018. And has not weighed in on the story, whether to confirm it or to deny it. The president , though, took that opportunity to attack john kelly and disparage him, as he is being accused of disparaging members of the military, current and former. The president went after john kelly, saying he was not up to the task of being chief of staff. And that he was exhausted, and could not handle the pressures of the job. Even though john kelly is a retired, fourstar marine general. Led southern command. And had a son who died in afghanistan. The president said, despite those credentials, he could not live up to the pressure of working in his west wing. Kaitlan collins, cnn, the white house. The u. S. Is reporting, by far, the most covid19 cases, worldwide, still. And a new model says its about to get much worse. Now, this was published by the university of washington, and it says there could be more than 410,000 coronavirus deaths, across the u. S. , by january 1st. As of right now, almost 190,000 people have died. Even with such chilling numbers, the white house, though, inexplicably, painting a rosy picture of the pandemic. Have a listen to this. By the way, were rounding the corner. Were rounding the corner, on the virus. Hospitalizations and deaths have continued to decline, over the past week. Very substantially, decline. Cnns jim acosta asked the countrys top coronavirus expert, dr. Anthony fauci, what President Trump could, possibly, have meant when he says, as you heard there, that the u. S. Was rounding the corner on the virus. What do you make of that characterization . You know, im not sure what he means. Now, dr. Fauci went on to say that experts are actually concerned by a number of states, including montana, michigan, minnesota, and the dakotas, where the virus is spreading. Cnns nick watt following this story for us. Reporter there is covid fatigue, across the country, including pennsylvania avenue. Were rounding the curve. Reporter but the worst could still be to come. Another 220,000 plus americans could be killed by this virus, by january 1st, according to one wellknown model, which ominously has underestimated death tolls in the past. They, now, say 410,000, total, by the end of the year. They, also, tell us that, from that 410,000 number, if we were to ease our behaviors, that number goes up to nearly 620,000 deaths. Reporter but if masks were mandated, across the country, they say we could save more than 120,000 lives. Yet, the president wont mandate them. Neither will georgias governor. I, personally, dont believe a statewide mask mandates the way to go. Or missouris governor. We implore him to listen to the healthcare workers in the state of missouri, and order a statewide mask mandate. Were the showme state. But were really, what would be a better name for us is the makeme state. Reporter now, our immediate hurdle. The long labor day weekend. The stay safe message, targeted at the young. Well, all of us, when we were your age, thought we were invincible. You can pass this on. Reporter and you can get very sick. 31yearold, jenny ruelas, caught covid, lost her father to the virus. He was in a lot of pain. And thats the face ill never forget. Reporter she no longer tests positive. But still, struggles to breathe. I have to walk around with an oxygen can. Here, in the u. S. , young people, clearly, a big issue. The state of missouri saying 30 of their new cases are in the age group, 18 through 24. Up in boston, Northeastern University just suspended 11 students for allegedly gathering together in a hotel room. And over on this side of the country, San Diego State just suspended all inperson teaching, immediately, after another 120 confirmed cases. Nick watt, cnn, los angeles. And we will get more on the impacts the coronavirus has on those whove recovered with dr. Dana mccarry, who treats longhauler patients at mount sinai hospital. Were going to have that a little later in the newscast. So do stick around. We are going to take a quick break. When we come back, president s lawandorder message in the face of protests across the country. Will that message help get him reelected . Polls suggest he might need to rethink his approach. Also, a man shot seven times, in the back, by police in kenosha, wisconsin, makes a Court Appearance from his hospital bed. The details on his case, which which is unrelated to the shooting, just ahead. Fights. Llin. Oh no. Nonono. Did you really need the caps lock . Mucinex cold and flu allinone. Robinwithout the commission fees. So, you can start investing today wherever you are even hanging with your dog. So, what are you waiting for . Download now and get your first stock on us. Robinhood. Unlike ordinary memory wansupplements. Ter . Neuriva has clinically proven ingredients that fuel 5 indicators of brain performance. Memory. Focus. Accuracy. Learning and concentration. Try it today with our moneyback guarantee this, is why we no longer have to worry flushing too much toilet paper, will back up our system. But dad, ridx contains billions of enzymes proven to break down even paper to keep your whole septic system healthy. For paper, grease or waste breakdown. Use ridx. Less than two months, now, until the election, here, in the united states. A president ial race being run, under the shadows of a health crisis, economic crisis, and a social crisis. And were seeing a stark difference on how President Trump and his opponent, joe biden, approach race relations. Earlier this week, trump responded to the protests in kenosha, wisconsin, after police shot a black man, jacob blake, several times in the back. Have a listen. Kenoshas been ravaged by antipolice and antiamerican riots. They have been hit so hard. Violent mobs demolished or damaged at least 25 businesses. Burned down public buildings and threw bricks at Police Officers, which your Police Officers wont stand for. And they didnt stand for it. These are not acts of peaceful protest but, really, domestic terror. Well, the president s message, obviously, focused on law and order. More than that, than social justice. But it appears his message isnt resonating. A new cnn poll found that more than half of respondents think trumps response for the protests has been harmful. Many protests have been peaceful. The vast majority, in fact. But there has been violence, as weve seen. And the polls are reflecting that. Violence in cities like kenosha, portland, and minneapolis, has put a dent in public support for the black lives Matter Movement. But still, 51 of respondents in that cnn poll, still, hold a favorable view. 38 do not. Joining me, now, is chairman of the department of politics and International Relations at youngstown state university. Professor, really appreciate your time. I wanted to talk about the president , clearly, counting on lawandorder messaging as a major pillar of the campaign. Polling would suggest his effort to reframe the race, around that, isnt working. Im curious what your take is on whether that has legs, as a political strategy . Well, i think it might. And i dont think were quite sure, yet. Whether whether it isnt working. Its its kind of early in this. Voters are just starting to pay attention. And, you know, this clearly is a theme. You know, i think that that thats in the background. And i think, you know, the reactions of former Vice President biden, you know, going off to kenosha, shows that the democrats are at least a little bit worried about this, going ahead. That it could become, you know, an issue that trump can use to to move some swing voters into his camp. I mean, it is hard to remember another presidency thats been more chaotic, if we can put it that way. Why do you think, politically, his supporters have been so loyal . I mean, what is it that makes them ignore the chaos of the president and see positives . Well, i think, some of them want the chaos. I mean, remember, trump ran as a disruptor, in 2016. As somewhat of a bombthrower. He appealed to voters that thought that the system, as it was, was not dealing them a winning hand. And they wanted to shuffle the deck. And electing donald trump was kind of the ultimate shuffling of the deck. So they wanted that. That disruption. Now, the question becomes, you know, in 2020, do they want that same disruption . Or things like covid and, you know, the disruption were seeing in the streets. Is that not what they bargained for in 2016 . It is its important to say the vast majority of protests have been peaceful. But of course, as we all know, some have not. And and its interesting because theres been polling, which shows public support for black lives matter has actually waned in the wake of the violence that has happened in some places. Is joe biden doing enough to counter that narrative . And and, you know, that that things will, somehow, be worse under him . Well, hes actually in kind of a difficult position because just as donald trump plays to his base all the time, joe biden has to also play to his base. And if you go back, you know, weve forgotten about the primaries. But it was a divisive primary in the democratic party. You know, between the sort of progressive wing, led by bernie sanders. And then, the more moderate, traditional wing, with joe biden. So, you know, clearly, the black lives Matter Movement is very, you know, near and dear to the Progressive Side of the party. So he has to be careful not to to sort of distance himself from black lives matters, as he wants to distance himself from the violence we are seeing in the street. I guess, one problem, you mention the coronavirus. I guess one problem the president has is the coronavirus because its one problem, where he cant control the narrative. The virus does what it does, and its difficult to massage the numbers. How much of a hurdle, politically, is covid, do you think . Its its a big hurdle and, in part, because it scares older voters. And you know, those older voters traditionally vote republican. And they supported donald trump, very strongly, in 2016. The danger is that because, you know, if they think that the Trump Administration has mishandled coronavirus, and its putting them at risk. Thats not the disruption they wanted in 2016. So thats why trump has to continue to sort of deal with that. And, you know, you saw it. You saw it in his press conference today. Where he sort of talks about what hes done, what the administration has done. All the testing theyre doing. So he cant just ignore that issue. Yeah. Yeah. Very briefly, how what what do you see happening, in the next 60 days . I imagine its going to be quite a ride. Yeah. I mean, theres still a lot of events. Theres still a lot of campaigning to go on. Weve really been kind of frozen and everythings been slowed down by this coronavirus. Were not seeing the rallies we thought we would see. Were starting to see those a little bit. All the commercials arent out, yet. I think the big event coming up is at the end of this month, in ohio. The debates. Where we see trump and biden go head to head. That that this year normally, the debates, i dont think matter that much. But this year, they could matter, you know, a great deal and perhaps swing the election enough. Because even though bidens ahead, hes not ahead that far in the allimportant swing states. And thats what matters, we learned in 2016. Got to win those swing states to win the electoral college. Yeah, very good point. Professor thoracic, thanks so much, appreciate it. Thank you. A black man, shot seven times in the back by police in kenosha, wisconsin, made his first Court Appearance on friday. The charges against jacob blake are unrelated to the Police Shooting incident, which left him paralyzed in the hospital. Cnn crime and justice correspondent, shimon prokupecz, has details for us from kenosha, wisconsin. We got our first look at jacob blake, since the shooting. Since video of him being shot, in the back, by police. This was during a Court Appearance from his previous, domestic incident case. He appeared from his hospital bed, dressed in a shirt and tie. It was a short briefing that was held before a judge, here, in kenosha county. That case was adjourned, and he is due back in court in september. This is all, as we await more information from investigators here. State investigators are still looking into the shooting and the circumstances surrounding the decision. The state investigators have up to 30 days to reach their conclusions. And then, those findings are given to the district attorney, who will ultimately decide if any of the officers will face charges. Shimon prokupecz, cnn, kenosha, wisconsin. And in rochester, new york, on friday, another face off between protestors and police. This, after video was released this week showing the arrest there, in march, of daniel prude. A black man, who later died in police custody. Protestors could be heard shouting black lives matter. Police ordering them to disperse and saying they were involved in an unlawful assembly. Cnns Paulo Sandoval with more on this case. And a warning, his report does contain graphic video. Reporter we now know a little bit more about wha