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The Situation Room

WHO Reports Record Number Of New COVID-19 Cases; CDC Says, Rate Of COVID Cases In Children Steadily Increasing; Lawmakers Say Postal Changes Slowing Mail-Order Meds For Vets; Some Arizona Republicans Organizing Support For Biden; Biden Polling Ahead Of Trump Nationally And In Swing States; Israel And UAE Strike Deal For "Full Normalization Of Relations". Aired 8-9p ET

Aired August 15, 2020 - 20:00   ET

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

[20:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: There is an effort out there called the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact to get every state to agree to go with whoever the national popular vote winner is. Right now, they need to be amass about 70 more electoral votes worth of states to do that. It's unclear whether or not that's possible. It's unclear whether that would hold up in court, Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Thanks so much for doing this special report, John Berman.

And to our viewers, the CNN special reporter, Count on Controversy, Inside the Electoral College, airs tonight, 10:00 P.M. Eastern right after THE SITUATION ROOM.

And welcome to viewers here in the United States and around the world. I am Wolf Blitzer in Washington. This is a special edition of The Situation Room.

Right now, around the globe, the spread of the often deadly coronavirus is not slowing down at all. Today, the World Health Organization reported the highest ever one-day number of confirmed new cases of COVID-19. We're talking 294,000 people worldwide in just one day known to be newly infected with the virus. The source we use here at CNN, the Johns Hopkins University, it puts the number of people positive for the virus around the world right now at a staggering 21 million plus.

The country with the most confirmed cases by far, that country happens to be the United States of America, where the pandemic is present in nearly every facet of daily life, not the least of which the presidential election, which is now fewer than 80 days from now.

President Trump convinced that an election held largely by mail will not be fair, will not be legitimate. In fact, he said today a mail-in election could take, his words, months or years to know if the vote count was actually accurate. Keep in mind, that there is no evidence that widespread mail-in voting would result in election fraud or lost ballots, no evidence of that at all. And just minutes ago, we learned that House Democrats are seriously this Saturday -- they're talking this Saturday night about possibly cutting their summer recess short to deal with the growing Postal Service controversy. If the speaker, Nancy Pelosi, brings her members back early, it would mark a dramatic escalation of this fight.

Also today, President Trump is defending his embattled postmaster general after CNN confirmed that the inspector general of the Postal Service is now reviewing the changes he ordered and his ethics compliance.

Our Kristen Holmes is traveling with the president, he spends the weekend in New Jersey at his country club up there. Kristen, you were there at the news conference a little while ago. The president once again attacked mail-in voting, update our viewers on what he said or what you learned.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. So he talked about mail-in voting, said that there was going to be widespread fraud. As you mentioned, there is absolutely no evidence, no proof that mail-in voting leads to widespread fraud. The other thing he said was that Democrats were the ones who were blocking the funding to the Postal Service.

And, of course, it's important to note that back in May, House Democrats passed a stimulus bill that now has been stuck in negotiations that have this funding for the Postal Service. And on top of that, it was just on Thursday that President Trump said that he was opposed to funding the Postal Service because of mail-in voting. He didn't want to fund mail-in voting.

But as you mentioned, one of the most interesting parts of this was this defense of Louis DeJoy, his postmaster general, an ally of his, and a mega donor to his campaign. In fact, he was such a big donor that he became the 2020 finance chair for the Charlotte Convention. And as you know from covering politics for years, that is no small potato. That is given to somebody because of prolific donations and fundraising capabilities.

Now, this was the first time we had really heard him talking about DeJoy. If you remember, we learned after the fact that he had met with DeJoy before the postmaster general went up to Capitol Hill to get grilled by Democrats. Even though they had that meeting, President Trump told us a week later that he hadn't spoken to the postmaster general.

Now, tonight, he was absolutely praising him. Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes, he's a fantastic man. He wants to make the post office great again. Have you ever heard the expression? He wants to make the post office great again.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: And he went on to say how special he was, what a great businessman DeJoy was. And we really need to point out here that Democrats and Republicans are both incredibly concerned about what is going on at the post office. We heard Kevin McCarthy, who rarely breaks from President Trump, saying that the Postal Service was going to get the funding that they needed.

[20:05:00]

This is a huge concern as we head into November into an election where we know that millions of Americans, many of them for the first time, will be voting by mail, meaning, they will be using the Postal Service. And as we know, many of these changes have caused delays that are raising alarms across the country.

BLITZER: They certainly are. Kristen Holmes reporting for us, thank you very much.

Michigan, certainly a key battleground state in this election, is one of those 46 states to actually receive a warning from the U.S. Postal Service that it may not necessarily be able to deliver ballots in time to be counted.

Jocelyn Benson is the Secretary of State for Michigan. She is joining us right now. Secretary Benson, thank you so much for joining us. What's your plan in Michigan to make sure that every vote is counted?

JOCELYN BENSON (D), MICHIGAN SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, a number of things. One, we want to push back on the changes to the post office, not just in Michigan but nationally, but also create workarounds and alternatives for citizens to receive and return their ballots that they get in on time.

I'll tell you, it's alarming, 80 days out of an election, to get a letter along with 45 with my colleagues from the Postal Service saying, we're not going to be able to provide the service that you need, that citizens demand to make sure that their votes are counted on time.

So we're going to go into overtime here in Michigan and many states across the country to make sure we're installing drop boxes all around the state for people return their ballots on time. We're making it more easy for citizens to pick up their ballots, in-person from their clerks.

And we're also encouraging everyone. I just did a postcard mailing this week to every registered active voter making it easy for them to request their ballots early and get themselves plenty of time to return it. And then we also a installed ballot tracking system for every citizen to track the process for themselves to give them the confidence that if they choose to vote by mail, they'll be able to track their ballot and confirm their vote was counted.

BLITZER: Yes, it's so critical in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic where people are nervous about going to a polling place, waiting in lines just to vote when they can easily just do it by mail. Earlier in the week, Secretary, the Postal Service sent a statement. Let me read it to you and our viewers. The Postal Service has ample capacity to adjust our nationwide processing and delivery network to meet projected election and political mail volume, including any additional volume that may as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. That was earlier in the week, but that has dramatically changed course since then.

Now, these letters have been sent out to, what, 40-plus states, including your State of Michigan. How serious is this risk that some Americans are actually going to be disenfranchised and what changed between the earlier statement and the letter you received?

BENSON: Well, it's clear and we just a statewide primary in early August. And in that primary, 6,400 ballots were sent on time but received late. And under our current law, ballots have to received by election night in order to count.

So that's 6,400 voters in our August primary who validly voting, did everything their supposed to do and were disenfranchised through no fault of their own because the Postal Service failed to deliver ballots on time. That's a travesty, that's voter suppression. And we expect, if nothing changes, that number could double or more in time, before this fall elections.

So we're putting changes in place, like ramping up our voter education efforts and ensuring voters all their choices because you still will be able to vote in-person in every precinct in Michigan as well this fall. But, importantly, voters need to be more prepared than ever to adjust and adapt. If you want to vote by mail, request your ballot early, return it early, track it.

If you don't receive your ballot on time, request it again. Go to your clerk's office. Find out the rules in your state for finding all the ways in which you can receive and return your ballot in case one, like the Postal Service, fails to meet your needs and you have to course correct and find another avenue to ensure your vote counts.

BLITZER: It's so critical right now, especially for elderly voters out there, especially for people with underlying health conditions or don't want to go into a long line and wait to vote.

The president this week was asked about people not feeling safe in the middle of this pandemic to vote in person. Listen to his response, Secretary. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I'm not saying anything wrong with voting. I want them to vote. But that would mean that they'd have to go to a voting booth, like they used to, and vote.

REPORTER: Even if they don't feel safe voting in person? People want to vote by mail because --

TRUMP: Well, they're going to have to feel safe and they will be safe and we will make sure that they're safe and we're not going to have to spend $3.5 billion to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So what do you think? What did you think of his response, Secretary?

BENSON: Well, a couple of things. Yes, it is possible to provide, and we've done it in Michigan, safe in-person voting on Election Day. You do it through providing PPE for poll workers, encouraging voters to wear masks, practicing social distancing, partnering with sports teams so that arenas can be used for precincts to provide more spaces, like more than a vote effort is doing. So, it is possible but it takes more resources. It does take more federal funding.

And through the CARES Act funding we received this spring, we were able to provide PPE and other resources for our poll workers so that they could have that safe in-person voting option.

[20:10:08]

But, critically, to avoid crowding on Election Day, you have to have an alternative option for mail-in to work as well.

In the states where we've seen crowding, Georgia, Wisconsin, in these past several months during the primary season, it's been because of the robust needed vote by mail system was not fully accessible to all. So you need both, voters need choices and we need the Postal Service to step up and be part of the fabric of options of citizens to vote in their democracy this year.

BLITZER: Jocelyn Benson is the Michigan Secretary of State. Secretary, thanks so much for joining us. Good luck in Michigan. It's obviously going to be a key battleground state. Thanks so much for joining us.

BENSON: Thank you.

BLITZER: As more schools are reopening right now across the United States, new data from CDC suggests children may be more susceptible to contracting the coronavirus than many people originally thought and are just as likely as adults to end up in the ICU if hospitalized. We have details, new information coming in from the CDC when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:15:00]

BLITZER: States including Georgia and Indiana have now begun the new school year with in-person classes just as the CDC issues an alarming new finding. COVID-19 rates among children are steadily rising here in the United States.

According to the CDC's new statistics, children under the age of 18 make up 22 percent of the total U.S. population but now account for more than 7 percent of all new cases in the U.S. That infection rate is up from earlier this year when children under the age of 18 accounted for just 2 percent of all COVID cases.

And here is another very alarming statistic from the CDC. One in three kids hospitalized with the virus ends up in the ICU, intensive care unit, that's the same rate as for adults.

Joining us now are Emergency Physician Dr. Megan Ranney and Dr. Patrice Harris, the past President of the American Medical Association. Thanks to both of you for joining us.

And I want to start with the president's new coronavirus point person, Dr. Scott Atlas. He is a radiologist, not an infectious disease specialist, but listen to some of his comments. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SCOTT ATLAS, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS MEDICAL ADVISER: By the way, you don't eradicate a virus by locking down. I mean, that's just a complete misconception.

I think we have to get a grip here, look at the science, understand who we're talking about here. There's not a lot of obese, diabetic 78- year-olds playing football.

This is a temporary issue. Pandemics don't last for years and years. I'm sorry, but that's just never happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So, Dr. Ranney, that's vastly different than the advice we're getting, let's say, from Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx. What's your reaction when you hear what Dr. Atlas is saying?

DR. MEGAN RANNEY, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN, LIFESPAN/BROWN UNIVERSITY: I'm sure that Dr. Atlas is a terrific neural radiologist and it would be great to have him on call when I'm working in the E.R., need a quick read on a brain MRI or a spine MRI. But he has, as you mentioned, to my knowledge, no training in public health or infectious disease.

And those comments that you just played are quite concerning to those of us who do have public health training or to my colleagues who are experts in virology and infectious disease. They imply a lack of understanding about how the virus spreads and how to prevent its spread as well as a dismissal of the very real consequences of this disease for younger Americans.

BLITZER: Dr. Harris, President Trump has repeatedly claimed that children are, in his words, essentially immune from this coronavirus. But the CDC now suggests that the lower infection and transmission rates could be related to stay at home orders in school closures in the early days of the pandemic. So what's your reaction? Does that make sense to you?

DR. PATRICE HARRIS, FORMER PRESIDENT, AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION: It does, Wolf. As has always been the case, the objective data and the facts don't lie. You noted that one in three children who are hospitalized are ending up in the ICU. And, tragically, we just heard reports of a 15-year-old and a 7-year-old dying here in Georgia.

So we know that the absolute numbers are increasing. The percentage of cases are increasing in children, and we have to continue to rely on that data and those facts to make decisions about returning to school, or any decisions regarding children and family in our country.

BLITZER: Here is what's also so worrisome, Dr. Ranney. The CDC is also announcing, evidence suggests, and this is worrisome, that as many as 45 percent of pediatric infections are totally asymptomatic. So, how do you stop the spread? Even if a kid is asymptomatic, that kid could pass along the virus at home to others, to adults, to parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, how does that impact if you don't even know if the kid is totally asymptomatic but does actually have the virus?

RANNEY: Yes. You put the finger on the challenges of this epidemic, which is that, especially as we get into the younger age groups, kids and younger adults can spread the virus without knowing that they're infected. They can then pass it on to their parents or grandparents or teachers.

Right now, the best way that we have to prevent that transmission is for everyone to be masked when they're out in public. There has been study after study showing that when masks are worn by everyone, even cloth masks, as long as they are a couple of layers and not one of the neck gators, but when masks are worn by everyone, the rate of transmission of virus goes down.

That said, if you are in a community with high rates of COVID-19, even with masks on, it is likely not safe to put those kids in an indoor school building with teachers and other staff members who may be high risk themselves.

[20:20:02]

Listen, we don't want to put our kids and our teachers at risk and we don't want kids bringing the virus home to their parents or their grandparents. That's a burden that kids shouldn't have to live with, getting their parents sick and seeing parents hospitalized because they caught a virus at school.

BLITZER: Yes, so worrisome. Dr. Harris, earlier today, the president was asked about his administration's response to the pandemic. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: If you look at these numbers, they're coming down very substantially. And I do believe that Americans, many are wearing masks, which is a good thing. Again, some people thought that you shouldn't wear masks. When this whole thing started, Dr. Fauci, who I like and respect, said don't wear masks, okay, and so did Dr. Redfield.

And then all of a sudden, it was like everyone should wear a mask. And that's okay, people can change their mind. But wash your hands, good hygiene, all of those things, I think, people are really doing it to a level that they've never done before.

And when you look at the numbers, the way the numbers are coming out, I mean, it's impressive when you see what's happening.

We've done it right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: I don't know what's so impressive. Just yesterday, in 24 hours, we just checked the Johns Hopkins University, says 1,336 Americans died. It's been day after day after day, Dr. Harris. More than a thousand are dying every single day. And he says, in his words, we've done it right.

HARRIS: Wolf, from the very beginning, we've needed national strategy on testing, on acquiring equipment, on PPE, and we've just not had that. And, certainly, in some jurisdictions where citizens worked very, very hard and they wore their mask and they closed down bars and restaurants, they were very vigilant. They have been able to reduce their numbers.

But here in Georgia where I live, the administration's own task force said that COVID-19, the spread of COVID-19 was widespread and expanding. We've seen schools open only to have to close in a couple of days.

And I will tell you, the parents and the families that I talk to, they are not interested at all. They zero interest in political grandstanding or political theater. They just want to be able to send their children to school with some safety measures. And where they can't send their children to school, they want the resources that they need to educate their children until we get through the acute phase of this pandemic.

So, clearly, we have a lot more work to do and the numbers don't lie.

BLITZER: You're absolutely right. Dr. Patrice Harris, Dr. Megan Ranney, thanks to both of you and thanks to everything you're doing to help deal with these truly awful situations.

Coming up, we have new details on how the fight for funding at the U.S. Postal Service could be impacting America's veterans. The former secretary for Veterans Affairs, David Shulin, he's standing by live.

We have lots to discuss. We will when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:25:00]

BLITZER: Policy changes at the United States Postal Service, the same ones Democrats say are aimed at actually sabotaging mail-in voting in the November election. And now, there's a number of Democratic senators who are so deeply concerned about how cost-cutting measures are impacting the nation's military veterans. The Associated Press reporting that hundreds of veterans telling lawmakers right now that they're experiencing much longer wait times for truly essential mail-order prescription drugs.

Former Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin is joining us now right now. He served under President Trump. Secretary Shulkin, thanks so much for joining us.

So, is there serious reason to be concerned for these veterans right now?

DR. DAVID SHULKIN, FORMER VETERANS AFFAIRS SECRETARY UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP: I think there is, Wolf. The Mail-order Pharmacy Program at the Department of Veterans Affairs is one of its finest programs. In fact, it's earned the top rating J.D. Powers and nine of the last years that just operates flawlessly, except for now.

And with the delays that we're seeing Post Service, we're hearing from veterans all over the country, 80 percent of our country's veterans that receive medication from the V.A. get them by mail. And so this is putting hundreds of thousands of our veterans at risk for serious health issue.

We don't need another health crisis right now in this country. And this one, unfortunately, is a manmade crisis, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes. And remind us, the veterans, they're obviously very dependent on the post office to get their prescription drugs. Has that always been the case?

SHULKIN: Well, this mail-order program that the Department of Veterans Affairs has been working so well for well over a decade, and relied upon the Postal Service which has done an excellent job. And now all of a sudden we're seeing weeks go by and veterans, in many cases, just aren't getting the drugs in time.

And that's not a situation that we can tolerate. It simply shouldn't be happening, especially during a time of the pandemic. We need to make sure that the parts of our healthcare system that are working under our control continue to work well for our veterans. And it's much broader than that. It's all Americans that are getting medications and checks and other things that they rely upon on their mail.

[20:30:04]

So, this is really a crisis that is coming at the wrong time, Wolf.

BLITZER: So, if you had your way, I think it's fair to say, Secretary Shulkin. You would want the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate to both come back to Washington and their recess, their so- called recess which is supposed to go on until after Labor Day, September 8th, get back and fund the U.S. Postal Service to make sure the veterans can get their prescription medication, and to make sure that the voting system, especially in the midst of a pandemic, with so many elderly people, people with underlying conditions, are afraid to go wait in long lines of postal at polling stations. You want them to get back and fund the postal service with the billions of dollars they need.

SHULKIN: Well, the Postal Service, no doubt, need to perform. And that's been a long time and coming, but now is not the time during a pandemic to be forcing these types of operational deficiencies, so we do need to fund this, we need to make sure that people aren't armed by a postal service that isn't capable fulfilling its mission.

You know, Wolf, the irony is, is that the Postal Service employs more veterans than almost any other employer, one out of every five employees as a veteran themselves. So, I know those employees want to be doing their mission. They do need the resources and they shouldn't be blocked from being able to do their job until the right reforms were done in the right way. And that often takes time.

BLITZER: You know, it's interesting, Secretary Shulkin, a new CDC survey says that 41 percent of Americans surveyed are actually struggling with their mental health right now, due to this pandemic. The mental health of U.S. military veterans is already an enormous concern. How worrisome is it now? How concerned Secretary Shulkin should we be about the threat of serious mental health issues and, God forbid, suicide?

SHULKIN: Wolf, this is an extreme threat to the country, what we know about pandemics is that even after they go away, the mental health consequences don't often go away. And we're seeing a thousand percent increase in the calls for a mental health line around the country from this time a year ago. And, you know, this is a combination of social isolation, of fear, of uncertainty and of a pandemic, that for many, is just going on and on.

And these consequences which are severe anxiety, depression, and actually PTSD. These are very serious, make them lead through severe consequences in the CARES Act. We've got a lot of funding for physical health, but it was underfunded for behavioral health and mental health. And so we have to address that and take these concerns very seriously.

BLITZER: Absolutely right. Secretary Shulkin, thank you so much. Thanks for everything you've done for the U.S. military veterans over the years. Appreciate it very much.

SHULKIN: Thank you.

BLITZER: Coming up. President Trump is aggressively targeting suburban voters right now, but some Republicans in the key battleground state aren't convinced, we'll update you on that when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:35:23]

BLITZER: As the coronavirus crisis presses on and on with no end in sight right now, the President continues to see a support dip in the battleground states that he won back in 2016. Recent polls in places for example, like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Arizona, all show Joe Biden with the edge over President Trump, at least right now.

And in a troubling sign for the Trump campaign in Arizona, right now, some Republicans, Republicans are actually organizing support for Joe Biden. Miguel Marquez has our story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Trump trouble in the Phoenix suburbs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's very selfish and I don't think he's conservative.

MARQUEZ: The President's handling of the pandemic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has just not been truthful about the coronavirus.

MARQUEZ: Making voters who typically vote Republican.

KATHY VARGA, REPUBLICAN VOTER: I have hope that we can take the party back from extremism back to the center.

MARQUEZ: Not only speak out but organize to defeat him.

BLITZER: Donald Trump wins Arizona.

MARQUEZ: Trump won Arizona by less than four points in 2016. He still has support in this battleground states.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love him.

MARQUEZ: But recent polls show Joe Biden with a narrow edge. Now, even some current and former Republicans are organizing against Trump.

CJ DIEGEL, AZ CHAPTER, STAND UP REPUBLICAN: You can't blame the president for the virus, but you can absolutely blame him for the complete lack of leadership and the mismanagement since that time.

MARQUEZ: C.J. Diegel runs the Arizona chapter of Stand Up Republic, the non-partisan political group cofounded by Evan McMullin, who ran as an independent in 2016.

DIEGEL: We want to make sure people know they have an outlet to permission, if you -- if you will, to go out and either vote against Trump or just not cast a ballot for him.

MARQUEZ: Diegel, a self-described lifelong Republican never thought he'd say this.

DIEGEL: I will be voting for Joe Biden this year because I'm so disgusted.

MARQUEZ: Kathy Varga says she voted for Donald Trump. She now volunteers for Republicans for a new president.

VARGA: I would like to see a president that can unify that country, that can show empathy for others.

MARQUEZ: Longtime republican, Daniel Barker, twice appointed a judge by Republican governors has started a political action committee. Its name is Its Message. Arizona Republicans who believe in treating others with respect.

DANIEL BARKER, ANTI-TRUMP REPUBLICAN: If we could make a difference, whatever it might be, so that Joe Biden won Arizona, that is our hope. For now, he's printing and distributing Arizona Republicans for Biden yard signs.

[20:40:04]

Laura Clement is working with a group Mormon Women for Ethical Government. It started after Trump's election.

LAURA CLEMENT, ANTI-TRUMP FORMER REPUBLICAN: He was in denial and he only started wearing a mask like a few weeks ago. So, I think he only made it worse.

MARQUEZ: She too says she's voting for Biden.

The President and the pandemic in the Grand Canyon states a call to action for some Republicans to vote for anyone other than Donald Trump.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, Mesa, Arizona.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Thank you, Miguel.

I'm joined now by CNN Senior Political Writer and Analyst, Harry Enten. Harry, since 1948, we check, that was 72 years ago, Democrats have taken Arizona once, that was Bill Clinton back in 1996. Do Democrats really have a chance to do it again this year?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I absolutely believe that they do, Wolf. And, you know, let's just start out where the polls -- what the polls show at this point, and they do show, in fact, that Joe Biden is out ahead. It's a small lead, right?

It's only four percentage points 49 to 45, as you see on your screen right now, but I think it's so important to point out that number one, a lot of the polls show this. And number two, the reason why the polls are showing this, and it's white voters, Wolf, it's white voters.

Last time around in 2016, they went overwhelmingly for Donald Trump by nearly 20 points, a 17-point margin. This time around, Donald Trump's lead with white voters is down on just four points in the state of Arizona, which is illustrating a nationwide trend of white voters moving away from the president, his core base, which I think was part of Miguel's package showing that those white suburbanites have been moving away from Trump and in a Biden's column.

BLITZER: As you know, Democrats, they're talking about what they say would be expanding the map. Hillary Clinton also talked about expanding the map. So, should we trust the numbers this time?

ENTEN: Yes. You know, this is always a great question, right? You know, after 2016, there's all that question, oh, can we trust the state polling? But in fact, in Arizona, the polls have actually been really, really accurate over the last few cycles. If you look back at 2016, for example, they showed that that Donald Trump was ahead by three points in the final average who won by four.

And if you look back at 2018, that Senate race, right, Kyrsten Sinema, the democratic candidate was up by one point in the final polls, she ended up winning by two. And I think that Senate race gives you an illustration, right, that it's not just in 2020 we're seeing the polls turn around and go against Trump and the Republicans, we saw in 2018, as well. And I think that Biden lead right now is a continuation of that trend.

BLITZER: Right after the Situation Room coming up at 10:00 p.m. Eastern later tonight, Harry, we have a special report on the electoral colleges' role in all of this. In the past 20 years, as you know, two Democrats have actually decisively, impressively won the national popular vote, but they lost the Electoral College. Could Joe Biden be the third?

ENTEN: He could be, and I hope everyone tunes in a John Berman special, I love Johnny. And, you know, if you take a look at the polls right now, what you see in the five closest swing states that Donald Trump won in 2016, you do see that Joe Biden is ahead.

But what you also see is his lead in those swing states are less than his nationally, right? And that's a situation that could cause trouble down the road. Let's say the national race tightens, right? And you have this, sort of, uniform swing -- across the swing states, you could, in fact, see Biden's lead in the swing states deteriorate faster than his lead nationally. So it's possible, but at this point, it doesn't look likely, but it is possible, Wolf.

BLITZER: Harry Enten doing some serious analysis for us. Thank you very much.

In a very quick programming note, CNN will have special live coverage of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, including all the big moments and the most important speeches that starts Monday night. 8:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

Coming up, the White House revealed a historic peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. So, what does it mean for the region? We'll discuss when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:45:27]

BLITZER: The White House touting a major win in the Middle East this week after Israel and the United Arab Emirates announced a truly historic peace deal. The two nations agreed to normalize their relationship and unprecedented development in the history of Israel and the Gulf Arab states. And as part of the agreement, Israel will temporarily suspend plans to annex parts of the West Bank.

CNN Global Affairs Analyst, Aaron David Miller, is joining us right now. He was a senior Middle East negotiator in the State Department during both Republican and Democratic administrations.

And as you and I well know, we've covered this for a long time, certainly isn't the first peace deal in the Middle East between Israel and an Arab state. I remember I was a young reporter back in 1979, when Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty, establishing full diplomatic relations that's still in business.

I went with President Bill Clinton to talk Aqaba, Jordan in 1994, when Israel and Jordan signed a peace deal that still remains in effect. How important, how significant is this one, Aaron, between Israel and the United Arab Emirates?

AARON DAVID MILLER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: You know, I think it's really interesting, Wolf, to follow the diverse reaction. On one hand, you've got a lot of people touting this as the greatest historical breakthrough since the invention of saran wrap. And on the other hand, you have people trying to trivialize it, and denigrate it by claiming it's a betrayal of the Palestinians and it's a step backward.

And I think as usual, Wolf, the answer lies somewhere in between. I mean, unprecedented to be sure. The first of this process of normalization between the State of Israel and a Gulf Arab State, which is absolutely critical.

[20:50:11]

And I think what it reflects, Wolf, is the kind of harsh reality that the region is changing, the rise of Iran, the resurgence of transnational jihadi terror, Arab state frustration, and exhaustion with the Palestinian problem and a strong desire, particularly in the part of the Emiratis, not just to improve their relationship with the Trump administration, they read the polls in Washington, they also want to position themselves in the event that Joe Biden becomes president.

All of these factors have created a situation where more Arab States than ever before are willing to untether themselves, not completely, but to a large extent, from the Palestinian issue in order to follow their own interests.

BLITZER: You know, it's interesting, the New York Times columnist, Tom Friedman, says this is a huge deal. David Ignatius, the columnist for The Washington Post says it's a huge deal. I think it's a huge deal as well, especially because it does open the door now, and tell me if you agree for Israel to normalize relations with other countries, whether Oman or Bahrain or Morocco in the Arab world. Do you think it will?

MILLER: I think it will, over time, assuming that a couple things kick in. This deal needs traction. First of all, the arrangements need to be worked out between the Emirates and the Israelis. And Israeli delegation is en route to Abu Dhabi probably next week to begin to work on these details. It'll be interesting also to see, Wolf, where the Emiratis decide to put their embassy, will it be in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv? But I think there's a really good chance that the Omanis, the Bahrainis, maybe even the Moroccans follow suit.

And, of course, I'm not sure we're on the cusp of this, but the big prize, the one that would represent a sort of strategic reorientation is if the Israelis and the Saudis follow the same course that the Israelis and the Emiratis are on. All of this assumes, by the way, Wolf, that Mr. Netanyahu maintains his quote unquote, suspension of annexation.

And there's one other missing piece, and that is as important as this is, there is still the reality of the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian issue. The Arabs have opened the door. The real question, and I think that's a stunning development. The real question is, whether or not, you can get traction on the Israeli Palestinian track and move that forward in the same direction, and I'm more dubious on that one.

BLITZER: Well, that raises the important issue for those of us, I know you agree, and I agree that there should be, in the end, a two-state solution, Israel living alongside a new state of Palestine peaceful coexistence working together. Where does this impact the prospect of that? Because we've been getting a lot of negative reaction from the Palestinian Authority leadership.

MILLER: You know, I think it demonstrates to the Palestinians that the Arab states are prepared to significantly untether themselves. But at the same time, it leaves the Palestinians with very, very bad options. There is no serious option of armed struggle.

And again, to be fair, neither the current government of Israel nor the Trump administration has in any way shape or form, in my judgment, offered, what you could call a fair and equitable basis for negotiation with Palestinians.

Should the Arabs push both in that direction? And should an American administration respond positively? You might end up getting the beginnings of a serious negotiation. But I'm afraid, Wolf, that for the moment, we're going to be stuck in the space between the two-state solution that's too important still to abandon, in my judgment, on one hand, and a two-state solution that simply too difficult to implement on the other.

And in that space, we're going to see how well, Israeli Arab state relations will be able to thrive.

BLITZER: How much credit do you give the President of the United States, Jared Kushner, his senior advisor and son-in-law, for putting this deal together between the Israelis and the Emiratis?

MILLER: I knew you were going to ask me that question, Wolf. You know, this is a region where American ideas go to die. There's no question about it.

And, frankly, looking at three years of the Trump administration in the Middle East, there are bumbles, stumbles, and fumbles, to some degree, actually, to a large degree. This represents a very smart play. Now, they built on an already emerging foundation, driven by arising Iran, which generated Israeli Arab state coincidence of interests, transnational Sunni jihadi terror, which did the same thing.

[20:55:12]

But from the beginning of this administration, they made a bet that they could somehow persuade. And I'm not sure the Arab states needed much persuading, if in fact, they were to be well received in Washington. They made the Arab states a priority, the Saudis in particular.

So, I think, in that respect, they built on a foundation. And there's no doubt that this required an enormous amount of personal interaction. It was likely between the president's son-in-law and the Emiratis. Let's just hope that they can be as skillful and willful on the rest of this broken, angry and dysfunctional region.

BLITZER: Yes, the Israelis have had the secret contacts with a lot of these countries in recent years, but now going public, that's a major development.

Aaron David Miller, as usual, thank you so much for joining us.

MILLER: Thank you, Wolf. Take care.

BLITZER: All right. So, there's also breaking news coming out of Chicago right now where protesters have been demonstrating against police brutality. They're facing off with police this hour. We're going to Chicago when we come back.

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