U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Surpass 156,000; Trump On The Rising Death Toll: It Is What it Is; Third U.S. Company Releases Study Showing Its Coronavirus Vaccine Is Safe, Elicits Immune Response
PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: 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.</s>WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. We're following breaking news. 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.</s>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.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's under control. I'll tell you what --</s>JONATHAN SWAN, AXIOS REPORTER: How? A 1000 Americans are dying a day.</s>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.</s>SIDNER (voice-over): The President arguing there is not much more the U.S. can do to combat the coronavirus pandemic, medical experts disagree.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just categorically reject, we can't do something about it or that the status quo is acceptable.</s>SIDNER: With more than 4.7 million diagnosed cases and more than 156,000 deaths.</s>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.</s>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.</s>GOV. RON DESANTIS, (R) 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.</s>SIDNER: But some Midwestern states are newly surging.</s>MAYOR QUINTON LUCAS, (D) 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.</s>SIDNER: And while cases may be declining in many places, daily death tolls across the country continue to climb.</s>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.</s>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.</s>LT. CHRIS RAMIREZ, LOS ANGELES POLICE: We as a public have to be conscious of everybody else. Everybody's public safety, our own safety.</s>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.</s>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.</s>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.</s>SIDNER: 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.</s>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.</s>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.</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): 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."</s>TRUMP: I think it's under control. I'll tell you what --</s>SWAN: How? A 1000 Americans are dying a day.</s>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.</s>ACOSTA: The President tried to insist the data is on his side. But that argument fell flat too.</s>SWAN: I'm talking about death as a proportion of population. That's why the U.S. is really bad.</s>TRUMP: Well --</s>SWAN: Much worse than South Korea versus South Korea.</s>TRUMP: No. But you have to go by the cases.</s>ACOSTA: In Mr. Trump's world, the U.S. is leading in its response. Well, Hold it. Hold it.</s>ACOSTA: Why does the U.S. have so many deaths?</s>TRUMP: Hold it.</s>ACOSTA: U.S. has so many deaths compared to --</s>TRUMP: Hold it.</s>ACOSTA: -- so many countries around the world?</s>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.</s>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.</s>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.</s>ACOSTA: After slamming her comments as, "pathetic," a remark that left Birx feeling stung. Mr. Trump appeared to dial back his criticism.</s>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.</s>ACOSTA: The President is also taking some personal jabs at the late civil rights icon John Lewis, who was laid to rest last week.</s>TRUMP: He chose not to come to my inauguration. He chose -- I don't -- I never met John Lewis, actually. I don't believe.</s>SWAN: Do you find him impressive?</s>TRUMP: I can't say one way or the other. I find a lot of people impressive. Nobody has done more --</s>SWAN: Right.</s>TRUMP: -- for black Americans than have.</s>SWAN: I understand.</s>TRUMP: He should have come, I think he made a big mistake.</s>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.</s>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?</s>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.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is the same thing.</s>MCENANY: And also, I'd refer you to the campaign on this.</s>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.</s>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?</s>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.</s>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?</s>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.</s>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?</s>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.</s>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?</s>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.</s>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?</s>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.</s>BLITZER: Dr. Leana Wen, as usual, thanks so much for joining us.</s>WEN: Thank you.</s>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.