Transcripts For CNNW The Lead With Jake Tapper 20200729 : vi

First time since the end of may. And dr. Deborah birx of the White House Coronavirus task force is sounding the alarm about worrying trends in whats known as yellow zone states. Those are states that are seeing between 10 and 100 new cases per every 100,000 people. And a Positivity Rate between 5 and 10 . Those states could soon hit the red zone without further mitigation birx warns. 21 states are reportedly already in the red zone. 28 in yellow. Only vermont is in the green zone. Dr. Birx also warns that the virus is largely being spread by young adults in their 20s and 30s. As cnns nick watt reports from covid19 hot spot los angeles. Reporter the u. S. Just suffered the deadliest day of the summer so far. 1,244 lives reported lost to covid19 tuesday. If we dont do something to change our course, we will have multiple hundreds of thousands of deaths in this country. Reporter the association of american medical colleges wants decisive, coordinated action releasing a detailed road map calling for increased testing, enforcement of reopening criteria as well as informing and educating the public. You can look at large portions of our country. Its coronafree. Reporter thats not true. In all these states, concern is climbing as cases climb. They are dubbed red zone and yellow zone states by the cdc. Only vermont is green. No deaths in nearly six weeks. But even vermont just pushed reopening schools back a couple of weeks. A new Study Suggests that states that closed schools early in the spring saw significant declines in covid cases and deaths. The Trump Administration wants schools open again asap. This may sound a little scary and harsh. I dont mean it to be that way, is that youre going to be actually part of the experiment of the learning curve of what we need to know. Reporter meanwhile, police will now be patrolling the shores of Lake Michigan after gary, indiana, closed its beaches. More nfl players are opting out of the season, including six new england patriots. And texas is about to overtake that early epicenter new york for total case count. California and florida already did. Case counts right now high, but stabilizing in florida. Theyve kept it down in new york. Flattening the curb is certainly important, but when you flatten it at a very high level, we are still going to see significant hospitalizations and deaths several weeks down the road. Reporter soon, alaska wont let anyone in from the lower 48 without a negative test result. The president loves to tout his early travel restrictions imposed on china. But. And by the time we realize youre a threat and we shut down travel to europe, there was also probably two or three weeks of 60,000 people coming back every day from europe. Thats where the large seeding came in the United States. Reporter and, jake, just within the past couple of minutes, we have now passed 150,000 people dead in this country from covid19. California also just posted what they say is a record daily death toll, 197. And interestingly over in rhode island, like many other states, they are blaming parties. The governor there is holding back on reopening for another month. She says its parties, pool parties, house parties, birthday parties, even a baby shower. Jake . All right, nick watt in california, thank you so much. Joining me now, former Harvard Medical School professor and author of the book a family guide to covid. You say there are two different kinds of epidemics going on in the United States. Explain what you mean by that. Well, one of the epidemics is the one you were just speaking of, which is young people going out, having a good time. We all understand that. But then they come back and they infect the people who they live with. Many of those are old and elderly. That is one epidemic. And thats very worrying because the demographic that they are in, maybe their 20s and their 30s is no different from the adolescent to teenagers who are about to go back to school. They may not have the effects of this virus as badly as the older generation. But they can infect the older generation, and well see that if they go back to school. So thats the first one. The second one is one weve also talked a lot about, which is in the minority communities, the latinos, the blacks, other minorities. And many of them dont have any choice but to keep going to work. They are either in essential services or they dont have any other means of support than working. They live in crowded conditions. They take Public Transportation. They are exposed to one another. Those are the two main drivers. Theres a couple of others. But those are institutions, our correctional facilities, our mental institutions, our elder care homes, which is a different category. But that basically is whats happening. We have to treat those a little bit differently. The way you treat and try to prevent the epidemic in those minority communities is different from the way you try to educate people who have the choice not to go out and gather. All right. So, yeah, lets talk about that. Obviously the educational component is important, if not, you know, laws and restrictions when it comes to people in their 20s and 30s who are spreading this virus because of optional behaviors, parties, going to bars, going to gatherings. And that is something that the government or they need to do. What about the people who are disproportionately minority communities who are in less wealthy communities who have to go to work, who have to go to places where they get exposed, who have to take Public Transportation . How do we solve that problem of getting infected . There are two problems there. One is those that are in essential services. Those people that are in essential services doing the things that keep our cities running, keep us all safe, we have to do everything we can to keep them safe. We have to reinforce the type of personal Protection Equipment we give them. We have to be very careful with the way they work and how they work. Then theres the other group, those people who are mostly in service jobs that arent really essential. But they need the money. And i think theyre a guaranteed income for those groups who really have to focus on that. Weve helped a lot of Companies Stay in business. But were not going to get this epidemic under control until we help those people who are working only to feed their families and to keep themselves afloat. And we can if we can support our businesses support them too. Cdc director Robert Redfield acknowledged that the u. S. Was too slow in responding to the virus coming from europe. And that impacted the ability of the u. S. To fight the pandemic. This is an argument that Governor Cuomo has been making as well about how new york was disadvantaged because the shutdown on travel from europe came later than the shutdown on travel from china. And when i say shutdown, i mean restrictions. Obviously there continued to be some travel. Whats your big takeaway from redfields admission today . Well, its not a surprise. But i would rather focus on what happened a little bit later. The reason were in the trouble we are now isnt because the virus came here. Its because what we did once the virus got here and what we are still doing now that the virus is here and is affecting so many people. We have not done what many countries have done to control this virus. And there are very fundamental questions about why and how. And i think what we have to do now is focus on what it is we need to do. We know the very simple Public Health measures that we need to take. And i think its time for us to wake up and say lets put all of that in the past and lets focus on saving the next 150,000 american lives. Thats what weve got to do. And the next 300,000 lives that are going to be as they are the wounded. Yeah. So, lets talk about that. So, in addition to obviously masks and distancing and washing our hands and avoiding indoor situations in parts of the country where its dangerous, closing down bars and places where its dangerous to go inside. In addition to that, what else do we need to be doing . What does President Trump or Governor Cuomo, what do our leaders need to be doing . Well, we have a federal system. In a federal system, a lot of the authority rests with the governors of the states and even in some cases the mayors of our cities. But in that situation, you need a leader of a country that speaks in a way that people understand and are persuaded to behave correctly. You cant order all the things in a federal system the way we are set up. We are not like many of the european countries. But we count on a responsible leader protecting us. That is the responsibility, even if they dont have the tools to do it, they have the voice to do it. And that voice has been missing. And i would argue has actually accelerated the epidemic. We have a voice at the center of our government, which is accelerating the epidemic, not controlling the epidemic. And its time for that to change. Beyond that, what about more aggressive testing . What about using the defense production act to force labs to hire more workers and buy more equipment . What about Contact Tracing . What does the government need to be doing there . Those are all the things we really need to do if were going to drive this not just to a low level but were going to push this down to a level where our schools can reopen and we can go back to work. We need to contacttrace. But its not enough to test and to contacttrace. We have to have programs in place to make sure people can safely isolate once they have been identified so that they dont contact others and they dont infect others. One of the things that i think is now possible, which is newly possible, is to set up a twotiered testing system where the first test you do is a test for antigen, the proteins of the virus. And it can do so within 30 minutes and it can do so reliably for half of the people. The others you test, you get the results back as fast as you can. But once you have those half of the people or more identified, then you Institute Programs to allow them to safely and conveniently isolate for a twoweek period. That is what is required. That is how you drive this infection down. And we are not doing that. We just havent put in the programs to do that. We need the federal aid to do that. And we need the states to activate their programs so they can do it too. William haseltine, thank you so much. I appreciate it. He says he does not need to wear a mask, but Republican Congressman Louie Gohmert has now just tested positive. Then, President Trump has talked to Vladimir Putin multiple times in the past few months, seven times. But he has not brought up something that may have cost american lives. He just admitted it. Stay with us. How does the world reopen for business . To return to the workplace, safely, companies will need the right tools. Thats why salesforce created work. Com its an allnew suite of apps, expertise, and services. To manage this crisis today, and thrive tomorrow. Everything Companies Need to return to the workplace. Lets reopen. Safely. How abowhat a shame. Wilson . So soon after retiring. I hear his wife needed help with the funeral expenses. Thats ridiculous he had social security. When my brother died, his wife received a check from social security, all right for 255 the funeral costs were well over 8,000. How on earth did she pay for it . Fortunately, my brother bought additional Life Insurance before he retired. Whew i bet that cost a pretty penny, huh . Not with Colonial Penn. Coverage options start at just 9. 95 a month. Less than 35 cents a day. I have it myself. We both do. Both of you . Neither of us had to answer any Health Questions or take a physical exam. In fact, no one our age can be turned down. For any health reason. Your rates go up every year, right . No, not at all. Friends keep telling friends about guaranteed acceptance whole Life Insurance from Colonial Penn Life Insurance company. With this coverage, your premium never increases for any reason, and your benefit wont decrease simply because you grow older. Options start at just 9. 95 a month. To find out more, call now. male announcer call now and youll also get this free beneficiary planner and this free prescription savings card. In our politics lead today, right now President Trump is in texas, which is set to pass new york as the state with the third most coronavirus cases in the country. We know that Republican Congressman Louie Gohmert of texas was supposed to be on air force one traveling with the president today. But gohmert was tested in preparation for that flight. He tested positive for the coronavirus. Gohmert has been publicly dismissive about wearing a mask and was seen walking with attorney general bill barr on capitol hill yesterday. Neither of them wearing a mask during this period. Cnn White House Correspondent Jeremy Diamond joins me now. We are just learning now about a second republican who was scheduled to be with President Trump who has also tested positive for the virus. Reporter thats right, jake. And, look, there has long been a double standard as it relates to President Trump in testing. He has lamented the amount of testing, says he wants to slow down testing while at the same time having one of the most robust testing protocols at the white house. And today that testing protocol has prevented not one but two republicans who were set to be with the president today from being in his presence and potentially contaminating him with coronavirus. In addition to congressman Louie Gohmert we are also learning that leslie hunt, a republican candidate for texass seventh Congressional District also tested positive as he was on his way to the airport to greet President Trump in texas. Now, as far as Louie Gohmert is concerned, jake, in addition to not wearing a mask, he told our colleague manu raju that if i get coronavirus ill wear a mask. But we know thats just not how it works. A Republican Congress man who has repeatedly refused to wear a mask now testing positive for coronavirus. Hours before he was scheduled to join President Trump on air force one. I didnt have any of the symptoms that you see listed for the coronavirus. Reporter texas congressman Louie Gohmert spotted on capitol hill just yesterday maskless, walking near attorney general bill barr getting his diagnosis at the white house this morning. But gohmert didnt immediately isolate himself. Instead, he returned to his kong regulation rational office to tell his staff in person. Some members of gohmerts staff telling politico the congressman would berate them for wearing a mask and to show what reopening looked like. Democrats slamming his conduct. Im concerned about the irresponsible behavior of many of the republicans who have chosen to consistently flout wellestablished Public Health guidance. Reporter gohmert isnt owning up to the role his defiance of cdc guidelines may have played in him contracting the virus. Instead, hes blaming maskwearing without any evidence. In the last week or two, i have worn a mask more than i have in the last four months. I cant help but wonder if by keeping a mask on and keeping it in place that if i mightve some germs, some of the virus onto the mask and breathed it in. I dont know. Reporter as for President Trump, hes inched away from his antimask stance recently. But he is still focused on promoting a drug scientists overwhelmingly agree is an ineffective coronavirus treatment. This virus has a cure. It is called hydroxychloroquine, zinc. Reporter after retweeting a video of a fringe doctor making bogus claims about hydroxychloroquine, trump is sticking by his praise. There was a woman who was spectacular in her statements about it. Reporter even after she was exposed for making bizarre claims about alien dna and sex with demons. I think she made sense, but i know nothing about it. I just saw her yesterday. She is a very respected doctor. Reporter and the president isnt just watching the videos. Vice president mike pence meeting with the group the doctor belongs to branded as americas front line doctors and propped up by the tea party at the white house just yesterday to discuss hydroxychloroquine. Theres no evidence those doctors are treating patients on the front lines of the pandemic. Dr. Anthony fauci once again reminding the public hydroxychloroquine does not work. But right now today cumulative Scientific Data that has been put together and done over a number of different studies has shown no efficacy. Reporter and, jake, today President Trump is focusing once again on those racially charged appeals to white suburban voters. The president tweeting, im happy to inform all of the People Living their suburban lifestyle dream that you will no longer be bothered or finally hurt by having lowincome housing built in your neighborhood. Jake . All right, Jeremy Diamond at the white house for us, thank you. President trump did not even ask russian president White House Coronavirus<\/a> task force is sounding the alarm about worrying trends in whats known as yellow zone states. Those are states that are seeing between 10 and 100 new cases per every 100,000 people. And a Positivity Rate<\/a> between 5 and 10 . Those states could soon hit the red zone without further mitigation birx warns. 21 states are reportedly already in the red zone. 28 in yellow. Only vermont is in the green zone. Dr. Birx also warns that the virus is largely being spread by young adults in their 20s and 30s. As cnns nick watt reports from covid19 hot spot los angeles. Reporter the u. S. Just suffered the deadliest day of the summer so far. 1,244 lives reported lost to covid19 tuesday. If we dont do something to change our course, we will have multiple hundreds of thousands of deaths in this country. Reporter the association of american medical colleges wants decisive, coordinated action releasing a detailed road map calling for increased testing, enforcement of reopening criteria as well as informing and educating the public. You can look at large portions of our country. Its coronafree. Reporter thats not true. In all these states, concern is climbing as cases climb. They are dubbed red zone and yellow zone states by the cdc. Only vermont is green. No deaths in nearly six weeks. But even vermont just pushed reopening schools back a couple of weeks. A new Study Suggests<\/a> that states that closed schools early in the spring saw significant declines in covid cases and deaths. The Trump Administration<\/a> wants schools open again asap. This may sound a little scary and harsh. I dont mean it to be that way, is that youre going to be actually part of the experiment of the learning curve of what we need to know. Reporter meanwhile, police will now be patrolling the shores of Lake Michigan<\/a> after gary, indiana, closed its beaches. More nfl players are opting out of the season, including six new england patriots. And texas is about to overtake that early epicenter new york for total case count. California and florida already did. Case counts right now high, but stabilizing in florida. Theyve kept it down in new york. Flattening the curb is certainly important, but when you flatten it at a very high level, we are still going to see significant hospitalizations and deaths several weeks down the road. Reporter soon, alaska wont let anyone in from the lower 48 without a negative test result. The president loves to tout his early travel restrictions imposed on china. But. And by the time we realize youre a threat and we shut down travel to europe, there was also probably two or three weeks of 60,000 people coming back every day from europe. Thats where the large seeding came in the United States<\/a>. Reporter and, jake, just within the past couple of minutes, we have now passed 150,000 people dead in this country from covid19. California also just posted what they say is a record daily death toll, 197. And interestingly over in rhode island, like many other states, they are blaming parties. The governor there is holding back on reopening for another month. She says its parties, pool parties, house parties, birthday parties, even a baby shower. Jake . All right, nick watt in california, thank you so much. Joining me now, former Harvard Medical School<\/a> professor and author of the book a family guide to covid. You say there are two different kinds of epidemics going on in the United States<\/a>. Explain what you mean by that. Well, one of the epidemics is the one you were just speaking of, which is young people going out, having a good time. We all understand that. But then they come back and they infect the people who they live with. Many of those are old and elderly. That is one epidemic. And thats very worrying because the demographic that they are in, maybe their 20s and their 30s is no different from the adolescent to teenagers who are about to go back to school. They may not have the effects of this virus as badly as the older generation. But they can infect the older generation, and well see that if they go back to school. So thats the first one. The second one is one weve also talked a lot about, which is in the minority communities, the latinos, the blacks, other minorities. And many of them dont have any choice but to keep going to work. They are either in essential services or they dont have any other means of support than working. They live in crowded conditions. They take Public Transportation<\/a>. They are exposed to one another. Those are the two main drivers. Theres a couple of others. But those are institutions, our correctional facilities, our mental institutions, our elder care homes, which is a different category. But that basically is whats happening. We have to treat those a little bit differently. The way you treat and try to prevent the epidemic in those minority communities is different from the way you try to educate people who have the choice not to go out and gather. All right. So, yeah, lets talk about that. Obviously the educational component is important, if not, you know, laws and restrictions when it comes to people in their 20s and 30s who are spreading this virus because of optional behaviors, parties, going to bars, going to gatherings. And that is something that the government or they need to do. What about the people who are disproportionately minority communities who are in less wealthy communities who have to go to work, who have to go to places where they get exposed, who have to take Public Transportation<\/a> . How do we solve that problem of getting infected . There are two problems there. One is those that are in essential services. Those people that are in essential services doing the things that keep our cities running, keep us all safe, we have to do everything we can to keep them safe. We have to reinforce the type of personal Protection Equipment<\/a> we give them. We have to be very careful with the way they work and how they work. Then theres the other group, those people who are mostly in service jobs that arent really essential. But they need the money. And i think theyre a guaranteed income for those groups who really have to focus on that. Weve helped a lot of Companies Stay<\/a> in business. But were not going to get this epidemic under control until we help those people who are working only to feed their families and to keep themselves afloat. And we can if we can support our businesses support them too. Cdc director Robert Redfield<\/a> acknowledged that the u. S. Was too slow in responding to the virus coming from europe. And that impacted the ability of the u. S. To fight the pandemic. This is an argument that Governor Cuomo<\/a> has been making as well about how new york was disadvantaged because the shutdown on travel from europe came later than the shutdown on travel from china. And when i say shutdown, i mean restrictions. Obviously there continued to be some travel. Whats your big takeaway from redfields admission today . Well, its not a surprise. But i would rather focus on what happened a little bit later. The reason were in the trouble we are now isnt because the virus came here. Its because what we did once the virus got here and what we are still doing now that the virus is here and is affecting so many people. We have not done what many countries have done to control this virus. And there are very fundamental questions about why and how. And i think what we have to do now is focus on what it is we need to do. We know the very simple Public Health<\/a> measures that we need to take. And i think its time for us to wake up and say lets put all of that in the past and lets focus on saving the next 150,000 american lives. Thats what weve got to do. And the next 300,000 lives that are going to be as they are the wounded. Yeah. So, lets talk about that. So, in addition to obviously masks and distancing and washing our hands and avoiding indoor situations in parts of the country where its dangerous, closing down bars and places where its dangerous to go inside. In addition to that, what else do we need to be doing . What does President Trump<\/a> or Governor Cuomo<\/a>, what do our leaders need to be doing . Well, we have a federal system. In a federal system, a lot of the authority rests with the governors of the states and even in some cases the mayors of our cities. But in that situation, you need a leader of a country that speaks in a way that people understand and are persuaded to behave correctly. You cant order all the things in a federal system the way we are set up. We are not like many of the european countries. But we count on a responsible leader protecting us. That is the responsibility, even if they dont have the tools to do it, they have the voice to do it. And that voice has been missing. And i would argue has actually accelerated the epidemic. We have a voice at the center of our government, which is accelerating the epidemic, not controlling the epidemic. And its time for that to change. Beyond that, what about more aggressive testing . What about using the defense production act to force labs to hire more workers and buy more equipment . What about Contact Tracing<\/a> . What does the government need to be doing there . Those are all the things we really need to do if were going to drive this not just to a low level but were going to push this down to a level where our schools can reopen and we can go back to work. We need to contacttrace. But its not enough to test and to contacttrace. We have to have programs in place to make sure people can safely isolate once they have been identified so that they dont contact others and they dont infect others. One of the things that i think is now possible, which is newly possible, is to set up a twotiered testing system where the first test you do is a test for antigen, the proteins of the virus. And it can do so within 30 minutes and it can do so reliably for half of the people. The others you test, you get the results back as fast as you can. But once you have those half of the people or more identified, then you Institute Programs<\/a> to allow them to safely and conveniently isolate for a twoweek period. That is what is required. That is how you drive this infection down. And we are not doing that. We just havent put in the programs to do that. We need the federal aid to do that. And we need the states to activate their programs so they can do it too. William haseltine, thank you so much. I appreciate it. He says he does not need to wear a mask, but Republican Congress<\/a>man Louie Gohmert<\/a> has now just tested positive. Then, President Trump<\/a> has talked to Vladimir Putin<\/a> multiple times in the past few months, seven times. But he has not brought up something that may have cost american lives. He just admitted it. Stay with us. How does the world reopen for business . To return to the workplace, safely, companies will need the right tools. Thats why salesforce created work. Com its an allnew suite of apps, expertise, and services. To manage this crisis today, and thrive tomorrow. Everything Companies Need<\/a> to return to the workplace. Lets reopen. Safely. How abowhat a shame. Wilson . So soon after retiring. I hear his wife needed help with the funeral expenses. Thats ridiculous he had social security. When my brother died, his wife received a check from social security, all right for 255 the funeral costs were well over 8,000. How on earth did she pay for it . Fortunately, my brother bought additional Life Insurance<\/a> before he retired. Whew i bet that cost a pretty penny, huh . Not with Colonial Penn<\/a>. Coverage options start at just 9. 95 a month. Less than 35 cents a day. I have it myself. We both do. Both of you . Neither of us had to answer any Health Questions<\/a> or take a physical exam. In fact, no one our age can be turned down. For any health reason. Your rates go up every year, right . No, not at all. Friends keep telling friends about guaranteed acceptance whole Life Insurance<\/a> from Colonial Penn<\/a> Life Insurance<\/a> company. With this coverage, your premium never increases for any reason, and your benefit wont decrease simply because you grow older. Options start at just 9. 95 a month. To find out more, call now. male announcer call now and youll also get this free beneficiary planner and this free prescription savings card. In our politics lead today, right now President Trump<\/a> is in texas, which is set to pass new york as the state with the third most coronavirus cases in the country. We know that Republican Congress<\/a>man Louie Gohmert<\/a> of texas was supposed to be on air force one traveling with the president today. But gohmert was tested in preparation for that flight. He tested positive for the coronavirus. Gohmert has been publicly dismissive about wearing a mask and was seen walking with attorney general bill barr on capitol hill yesterday. Neither of them wearing a mask during this period. Cnn White House Correspondent<\/a> Jeremy Diamond<\/a> joins me now. We are just learning now about a second republican who was scheduled to be with President Trump<\/a> who has also tested positive for the virus. Reporter thats right, jake. And, look, there has long been a double standard as it relates to President Trump<\/a> in testing. He has lamented the amount of testing, says he wants to slow down testing while at the same time having one of the most robust testing protocols at the white house. And today that testing protocol has prevented not one but two republicans who were set to be with the president today from being in his presence and potentially contaminating him with coronavirus. In addition to congressman Louie Gohmert<\/a> we are also learning that leslie hunt, a republican candidate for texass seventh Congressional District<\/a> also tested positive as he was on his way to the airport to greet President Trump<\/a> in texas. Now, as far as Louie Gohmert<\/a> is concerned, jake, in addition to not wearing a mask, he told our colleague manu raju that if i get coronavirus ill wear a mask. But we know thats just not how it works. A Republican Congress<\/a> man who has repeatedly refused to wear a mask now testing positive for coronavirus. Hours before he was scheduled to join President Trump<\/a> on air force one. I didnt have any of the symptoms that you see listed for the coronavirus. Reporter texas congressman Louie Gohmert<\/a> spotted on capitol hill just yesterday maskless, walking near attorney general bill barr getting his diagnosis at the white house this morning. But gohmert didnt immediately isolate himself. Instead, he returned to his kong regulation rational office to tell his staff in person. Some members of gohmerts staff telling politico the congressman would berate them for wearing a mask and to show what reopening looked like. Democrats slamming his conduct. Im concerned about the irresponsible behavior of many of the republicans who have chosen to consistently flout wellestablished Public Health<\/a> guidance. Reporter gohmert isnt owning up to the role his defiance of cdc guidelines may have played in him contracting the virus. Instead, hes blaming maskwearing without any evidence. In the last week or two, i have worn a mask more than i have in the last four months. I cant help but wonder if by keeping a mask on and keeping it in place that if i mightve some germs, some of the virus onto the mask and breathed it in. I dont know. Reporter as for President Trump<\/a>, hes inched away from his antimask stance recently. But he is still focused on promoting a drug scientists overwhelmingly agree is an ineffective coronavirus treatment. This virus has a cure. It is called hydroxychloroquine, zinc. Reporter after retweeting a video of a fringe doctor making bogus claims about hydroxychloroquine, trump is sticking by his praise. There was a woman who was spectacular in her statements about it. Reporter even after she was exposed for making bizarre claims about alien dna and sex with demons. I think she made sense, but i know nothing about it. I just saw her yesterday. She is a very respected doctor. Reporter and the president isnt just watching the videos. Vice president mike pence meeting with the group the doctor belongs to branded as americas front line doctors and propped up by the tea party at the white house just yesterday to discuss hydroxychloroquine. Theres no evidence those doctors are treating patients on the front lines of the pandemic. Dr. Anthony fauci once again reminding the public hydroxychloroquine does not work. But right now today cumulative Scientific Data<\/a> that has been put together and done over a number of different studies has shown no efficacy. Reporter and, jake, today President Trump<\/a> is focusing once again on those racially charged appeals to white suburban voters. The president tweeting, im happy to inform all of the People Living<\/a> their suburban lifestyle dream that you will no longer be bothered or finally hurt by having lowincome housing built in your neighborhood. Jake . All right, Jeremy Diamond<\/a> at the white house for us, thank you. President trump did not even ask russian president Vladimir Putin<\/a> if he was indeed paying the taliban to kill u. S. Troops. The shocking admission from the commander in chief. Thats next. Our world lead now, President Trump<\/a> himself finally admitting that when he has had the chance to confront russian president Vladimir Putin<\/a> on the phone last week or in previous weeks about that u. S. Intelligence suggesting that russia has offered bounties to taliban terrorists to kill u. S. And uk troops, the president says he never brought the subject up. Here is what he told axios reporter jonathan swan. Frankly, thats an issue that many people said was fake news. Who said it was fake news . We discussed numerous things. We have never discussed it. I have never discussed it with him, no. I would. I have no problem with it. Its because you dont believe the intelligence. Thats why. Everything you know whats interesting, nobody ever brings up china. They always bring up russia, russia, russia. Cnn has reported that intelligence on the russian bounty plot was in the president s Daily Briefing<\/a> some time this past spring. President trump has spoken to putin at least seven times since march. Therefore, has had at least seven opportunities to bring this up. I want to bring in retired Republican Congress<\/a>man mike rogers who is the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee<\/a> who is now a Cnn National Security<\/a> commentator. Chairman rogers, thanks for being here. Obviously, even if the intelligence is disputed, which it is, this is not a slam dunk as has been said. Some people in the Intelligence Community<\/a> think this is definitely a real thing. Other people question it. Regardless, is there any excuse for an american president not raising this with putin given that theyve had at least seven conversations . Absolutely not. And you could see if the president said, hey, and this was part of a strategy. I dont want to talk about it. Im going to use the next tier down to go in so you can take the gloves off and really hammer this home. But what i heard him say was i still dont believe, were not going to do it, i didnt do it, which means no ones doing it. And thats what worries me most. Remember, it made it into the president s daily brief. So, even if it was on the edge of maybe but maybe not, it made it into the president s daily brief. That is screened by a whole bunch of agencies that come together to put forth what they think is going to be in the president s daily brief. So the intelligence exists. Thats what it tells me. And it tells me that they have just decided that theyre going to err the other way. And i think when you have troops in the field in contact with the enemy and we already know general nickelson said, hey, guess what, the russians are giving money and guns to the taliban. We knew that. This bounty thing is not that far of a stretch. Its really concerning. We still have troops in afghanistan. Right. And listen to this because as you know even if the intelligence about the bounties isnt definitive. General nickelson said clearly russia has been helping the taliban. Listen to swan press the president on that topic. John nickelson, former head of forces in afghanistan, said, and this is when he was working for you, that russia is supplying weapons to the taliban. Isnt that enough to challenge putin over the killings of well, we supplied weapons when we were fighting russia too. Its well known in the Intelligence Community<\/a> that theyre arming the taliban, russia. I dont know. When you say arming, is the taliban paying or are they supply weapons and money to the taliban. I have heard that, but its never again, its never reached my desk. So, not to put too fine a point on it. But thats literally a kremlin talking point. The idea that the president is confronted with the fact that general nicholson says the russians are helping the terrorists who are killing our soldiers and the president says, quote, well, we supplied weapons when they were fighting russia, too. And that obviously dates back to 1979 and the 1980s. What did you think when you heard that . I have to tell you, my blood boils a little bit. I dont know why he would even go on the defensive on this. He could have if he just came out and said im going to take the information and were going to go back and deal with it, but he is so defensive on this. Mr. President , there are troops in the field who are exposed to danger. This notion that youre not going to do everything that you can to protect them and make them successful, meaning given the tools and the policies and the support that they need to complete their mission, this stands in the way of that. It defies logic to me that anyone including the National Security<\/a> team around him would say, yeah, okay, whatever. Something Better Change<\/a> on this. I mean, i dont think he understands that this is an Achilles Hill<\/a> to the many supporters of his in the military who look at this and think that somebodys turning a bit of a back to them. My Blood Pressure<\/a> goes up just talking about it, jake. Because were not doing everything that we can. Listen, its, again, no big stretch. The fact that the information that was provided about the weapons and the money came in 2018, and in 2020 says, ah, never reached my desk, no big deal. That is a problem. And, mr. President , if it didnt get to your desk, do something about it. Its just so odd that his first reaction is trying to come up with an excuse for the russians doing this to our troops. Well, we did it to them back in the 80s. You dont need to come up with an excuse. But on a related note, mr. Chairman, today nearly two dozen House Republicans<\/a> said that the president is encouraging russian aggression by withdrawing nearly 12,000 u. S. Troops from germany. The president is defending the decision, saying that germany is delinquent in how much it spends on defense per its nato agreement republican senator mitt romney called this a gift to russia. What do you think about the decision . Yeah. And, again, this is shocking to me. Those troops are not there because of trade or auto parts or auto cars coming into the United States<\/a>. That is not why we have troops in germany. We brought those troops and that development of those command structures there, including air defense units which theyre moving as well, as a counterweight to russian aggression in the eastern block. And so youre sending the wrong message. This isnt yes, do i wish germany would pay that 2 . I do. But there is other ways to go after that versus taking troops out. That hurts the interest of our National Security<\/a> pushing back against russian aggression. I mean, we still have 25,000 troops there. I dont think the sky is going to fall necessarily. But i think it sends a horrible message to both our allies and our adversaries about how we make Strategic Military<\/a> decisions. All right, chairman rogers, thank you so much for your candid thoughts today. We appreciate it. Coming up, a look at what can happen when a world leader embraces and promotes an unproven and even sometimes dangerous treatment for coronavirus. No, were not talking about President Trump<\/a>. Stick with us. 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Access taxfree cash and stay in the home you love. Youve probably been investing in your home for years. Making monthly mortgage payments. Doing the right thing. And its become your familys heart and soul. Well, that investment can give you taxfree cash just when you need it. Learn how homeowners are strategically using a reverse Mortgage Loan<\/a> to cover expenses, pay for healthcare, preserve your portfolio, and so much more. Look, reverse mortgages arent for everyone but i think ive been round long enough to know whats what. Im proud to be part of aag, i trust em, i think you can too. Trust aag for the best reverse mortgage solutions. Call now so you can. Retire better also in our world lead today, nearly half of the doctors in brazil say they have felt pressured to prescribe an unproven medicine, such as hydroxychloroquine, to treat the coronavirus, according to a new survey in brazil. Hydroxychloroquine, of course, has been heavily promoted by brazils president bolsonaro and previously by President Trump<\/a>. Doctors say it could actually make an already dire situation in brazil even worse. Cnns Nick Paton Walsh<\/a> looks at the cult in brazil around hydroxychloroquine. Reporter leaders immense to give hope but not this false. Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro<\/a> and his favorite miracle prop is announcing hes recovered from coronavirus. Its the drug hydroxychloroquine. In crestfallen hardhit brazil, its government recommended even for mild cases and pregnant women. And an easy sell to these supporters who just want to see him even though security want them quiet. Are you telling us to shut up, he shoutouts. He tested negative. So today is a day to celebrate. He said since march to use the drug. He then launches into a passionate but unproven explanation of how it works and sells. Here, brazils suffering in confusion is often something bolsonaro speeds past. No matter how powerful the person advocating for the drug, study after study has shown that hydroxychloroquine is not medically effective in fighting the coronavirus. It may even be harmful. But its use here has become an act of worship almost. This Evangelical Church<\/a> follows science and social distancing in its seating plan as they offer a prayer for the president s health. Translator i want us to pray for the country and him. Can we do that now, he says . But some step aside when it comes to the belief of the drug. Were a congregation of 3,000 people, the pastor says and we have no deaths. People are infected. Some of them have followed the hydroxychloroquine protocol, for us azithromycin. However, here in the church we have some doctors and other doctors too today who agree with that protocol that the president speaks about guided by a doctor. Faith can only go so far though. The funerals pile up, eight in a day. Two of the people whose relatives say they were using hydroxychloroquine, its unclear if it hurt, but it didnt help enough. One is for a Police Sergeant<\/a> who went in three weeks from healthy to suddenly dying tuesday in hospital. Yesterday the doctor was smiling as he was getting better, but at 1 am i got the call. The hospital gave him antibiotics, adrenaline and the hydroxychloroquine protocol. However, im also using hydroxychloroquine with other drugs and azithromycin and i am here. Friends have too and did very well. Sometimes another issue causes the serious situation. The stark fact it didnt work for jonas is so sadly clear before them. But still in this dark slump for brazil, false hope seems better than none. Reporter i have to tell you it was quite strange being at the gravesite there in the debate about that drug. And you have to remember the atmosphere here around its part of the debate here whether the disease is serious or not. Startling frankly that in a country where tens of thousands of cases are being reported in every 24hour period and a thousand or so people dying on some days, that you would still have a focus on this unproven drug potentially being some miracle. It does not work. And that survey you mentioned earlier on in sao paolo among doctors, there isnt a debate but so much time is taken up discussing it. Jake . All right, Nick Paton Walsh<\/a>, thank you so much. Wouldnt it be nice if there were a road map designed by doctors and medical experts about how to end this pandemic . Well, one was just released. Well tell you about it next. Ke . Even if youre on a statin . Statins may lower some risks, but may not be enough. Thats why science delivered vascepa. For people who have persistent Cardiovascular Risk Factors<\/a> and take a statin only vascepa is clinically proven to provide 25 lower risk from heart attack and stroke. Dont take vascepa if youre allergic to icosapent ethyl or any inactive ingredient in vascepa. Tell your doctor about any medicines you take, and if you are allergic to fish or shellfish. Stop taking vascepa and seek medical help if you have symptoms of an allergic reaction. Serious side effects may occur like heart rhythm problems and bleeding. Heart rhythm problems may occur in more people with persistent cardiovascular risk or who have had heart rhythm problems. Tell your doctor if you have symptoms such as irregular beat, lightheadedness, dizziness, shortness of breath, chest discomfort or fainting. Possible side effects include muscle and joint pain. Proven by science, fda approved. Vascepa can reduce your risk and add cardio protection. Call your doctor about vascepa today. How abowhat a shame. Wilson . So soon after retiring. I hear his wife needed help with the funeral expenses. Thats ridiculous he had social security. When my brother died, his wife received a check from social security, all right for 255 the funeral costs were well over 8,000. How on earth did she pay for it . Fortunately, my brother bought additional Life Insurance<\/a> before he retired. Whew i bet that cost a pretty penny, huh . Not with Colonial Penn<\/a>. Coverage options start at just 9. 95 a month. Less than 35 cents a day. I have it myself. We both do. Both of you . Neither of us had to answer any Health Questions<\/a> or take a physical exam. In fact, no one our age can be turned down. For any health reason. Your rates go up every year, right . No, not at all. Friends keep telling friends about guaranteed acceptance whole Life Insurance<\/a> from Colonial Penn<\/a> Life Insurance<\/a> company. With this coverage, your premium never increases for any reason, and your benefit wont decrease simply because you grow older. Options start at just 9. 95 a month. To find out more, call now. male announcer call now and youll also get this free beneficiary planner and this free prescription savings card. Lets go back to our health lead. Some of the nations top medical experts are predicting that the death toll from coronavirus in the u. S. Could skyrocket, quote, well into the multiple hundreds of thousands. The dire warning comes from the association of american medical colleges composed of leaders of the nations top medical schools, physicians, scientists, Health Care Teams<\/a> and front line workers. Cnns senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen<\/a> joins us to talk about this. What in particular is worrying these physicians . Jake, these academic doctors are particularly worried about people in their 20s and 30s who are infected but either dont have symptoms or have very mild symptoms. They are not being careful and they are infecting older people or people with medical issues who really are at risk for getting very sick and dying. They specifically pointed to that as a very worrisome trend that is contributing to this transmission that were seeing. And the amc is saying that we could turn this around if we follow their road map. That includes National Standards<\/a> for face masks, increased testing capacity, a National Criteria<\/a> for stayathome orders. Is that all doable, do you think . Jake, its doable if the cdc gets its backbone back. Right now the cdc has been rendered so much less powerful than they used to be. If the cdc was allowed to do their job and implement these National Policies<\/a> and get the states on board, then we would have a fighting chance. And interestingly the aamc is also advocating for k12 schools to reopen, and they suggest districts draft reopening plans in the coming weeks. How are they saying we could do that safely, given there are other concerns . Jake, theyre not giving really specific details about what needs to be done. They are just saying that basically there needs to be a plan. I just a note here. Its unfortunate that were hearing this at the tail end of july. Schools been out in many parts of the country since may. To be coming up with a plan on this kind of short notice is really unfortunate. One thing that this group does talk about is that when you go back to school, collect realtime data. In other words, assess how youre doing. Are kids sick . Are they spreading infections to other people . Are kids opting for more of the Online Options<\/a> . Are they less likely to get sick . We cant just do an experiment. We actually need to keep track of whats happening. Imagine if we could test at schools even onetenth as much as they test at the white house. Elizabeth cohen, thank you so much. What democrats say is the proper way to honor the legacy of civil rights icon congressman john lewis. That story next. In our national lead, right now, georgia saying its last goodbye to the Late Congress<\/a>man john lewis who is lying in state at the State Capitol<\/a> in atlanta right now. As we remember lewis and his lifes work, a large part of his legacy was his calm but relentless pursuit for Voting Rights<\/a> for every american. And as cnns Abby Phillips<\/a> reports for us, despite the civil rights icons passing, his legacy is inspiring a new push to protect the rights for which he fought so hard. Reporter it was the work of his life, and now it may be his final call to action. I gave blood on that bridge in selma, alabama, for the right to vote. Reporter the death of civil rights icon and congressman john lewis is jumpstarting a new push to renew the 1965 Voting Rights<\/a> act, a key part of which was largely invalidated by the u. S. Supreme court in 2013. The court invalidated a key section of the act, which required these states and counties with histories of discrimination to seek permission from the federal government to make election changes like eliminating or moving polling places. I think that we ought to dedicate this Election Year<\/a> to john lewis. Reporter this year, the stakes are higher than ever. We started 2020 seeing intense levels of Voter Suppression<\/a> and voting discrimination. And that picture has been compounded by the pandemic. Reporter across the country, republican officials led by President Trump<\/a> are resisting efforts to expand mailin voting. Im very worried about mailin voting because i think its subject to tremendous fraud and being rigged. Reporter with long lines in states like georgia and wisconsin for voting where polling places had been moved or consolidated because of the pandemic. Meanwhile congress is frozen on additional election funding for states during the pandemic and on the Voting Rights<\/a> act. But it wasnt always this way. Every renewal of the Voting Rights<\/a> act was signed into law by a republican. Reporter today, 12 Senate Republicans<\/a> who voted to extend the Voting Rights<\/a> act in 2006 are still in office. In the 2013 Supreme Court<\/a> ruling, the justices told congress that they had the power to fix it. The democraticled house voted to restore parts of the Voting Rights<\/a> act in december with lewis presiding. That bill was renamed this week for the Late Congress<\/a> map. But the senate refuses to take it up. Since the 2013 Supreme Court<\/a> ruling, a study conducted by Civil Rights Group<\/a> found that 1,688 polling place closures from 2012 to 2018 in the states and counties that had previously been covered by the Voting Rights<\/a> act. We cant underscore enough how much backsliding we have faced in the country since the 2013 ruling. Reporter the stakes are high politically too with the Voting Rights<\/a> act largely gutted, battleground states like georgia, arizona, florida, michigan, and North Carolina<\/a> are no longer closely monitored. Mitch mcconnell dismisses Voter Suppression<\/a> as a factor in the upcoming election telling the wall street journal theres very little tangible evidence of this Voter Suppression<\/a> nonsense that the democrats are promoting. And there has been bipartisan praise for john lewis since his death. But, jake, no republican senators have come forward to say that they are willing to take up the Voting Rights<\/a> act any time soon. All right, Abby Phillips<\/a>, thank you so much. Finally, we want to take a moment today to put a face on just one of the now more than 150,000 americans who have died in this pandemic because of covid19. Oscar del toro senior was celebrating a dinner. Several were diagnosed with covid19 including del toro who died a few weeks later. His son hopes that his fathers story will be a cautionary tale for the rest of us. We need to understand the reality and specifically the mexicanamerican community, they want to go and have a good time and chat and hug and kiss. But we need to stop for now. Del toro loved talking politics. He was always excited to vote. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. Our coverage on cnn continues right now. This is cnn breaking ews. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States<\/a> and around the world. Im wolf blitzer in the situation room. Were following breaking news. A sobering pandemic milestone just moments ago. The United States<\/a> surpassed 150,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths. Florida and california have both set records for singleday fatalities. 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