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More than 1,000 Students Quarantined as Coronavirus Outbreaks Reported at Colleges in at least 17 States; Infectious Diseases Group Recommends Waiting a Few Weeks After Exposure to Test for Antibodies; Fauci Undergoes Surgery to Remove Polyp from His Vocal Cord; Awaiting Excerpts Ahead of Biden's Historic Convention Night; Tributes Tonight to Beau Biden, Rep. John Lewis; Bannon Pleads Not Guilty To Felony Fraud Charges; Federal Judge Rules Trump Must Turn Over Tax Returns; Rep. Adam Schiff Is Interviewed About the Steven Bannon Case; Russia Says Vaccine Trials To Move Forward With 40,000 People. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired August 20, 2020 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Thank you so much. That's it for The Lead. Be sure to join me tonight for the final night of the Democratic National Convention. We'll see you then.

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, the number of Americans dead in the coronavirus pandemic has now topped 173,000 as the country confronts more than 5.5 million confirmed cases.

The outbreak spreading to college campuses right now in at least 17 states resulting in more than 1000 students already quarantine.

Also breaking down, we're waiting excerpts from some of tonight's speeches just to have the final night of the historic virtual Democratic Convention where Joe Biden will accept the nomination for president of the United States.

Let's begin over at the White House right now. Our Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta is standing by.

Jim, the President is trying to get some of the spotlight that will certainly be on Joe Biden later tonight.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. President Trump just wrapped up a speech in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania where he unleashed a series of attacks on former Vice President Joe Biden as he prepares to give his speech at the last night of the Democratic Convention.

During the President's rally, Mr. Trump said he hopes the U.S. is nearing the end of the pandemic when that's not the case. The President also is still sowing doubts about the upcoming election, claiming that the only way he can lose is if the vote is rigged. That's obviously also false. But the President is back in a familiar position, distancing himself from yet another former aide, who is now under indictment. This time, his former Chief Strategist Steve Bannon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA (voice-over): Stung by days of attacks during the Democratic Convention, President Trump is on a rhetorical rampage slamming Joe Biden.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Joe Biden is a puppet of the radical left movement that seeks to destroy the American way of life.

ACOSTA: President is diving into some of the planning for his own convention at the White House next week hoping to showcase what he sees as the everyday Americans whose lives have been improved during his administration, not to mention respond to the warning from former President Barack Obama that Mr. Trump represents a threat to democracy.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Donald Trump hasn't grown into the job because he can't.

ACOSTA: President seemed triggered by that address on Twitter as he ranted in all caps about Obama and Biden's running mate Kamala Harris.

Mr. Trump's reelection chances took another gut punch after his former Chief Strategist Steve Bannon was indicted on charges of defrauding donors to a private effort that raised billions of dollars to fund a border wall. Bannon was arrested on a yacht.

TRUMP: Well, I feel very badly. I haven't been dealing with him for a long period of time as most of the people in this room know. I think it's a very sad thing for Mr. Bannon.

ACOSTA: When asked about Brandon's arrest Mr. Trump claim he didn't know anything about the project called We Build the Wall.

TRUMP: I know nothing about the project other than I didn't like what I read about it. I didn't like it.

ACOSTA: But hold on.

STEVE BANNON, FORMER WHITE HOUSE HIEF STRATEGIST: It's really the heart of the Trump movement.

ACOSTA: Not only was Bannon a key figure behind We Build the Wall, Donald Trump Jr. spoke out in favor of the effort.

Another We Build the Wall organizer, former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, said Mr. Trump had given the project his blessing.

KRIS KOBACH, FMR. KANSAS SEC. OF STATE: I was speaking with the president and we were talking about a variety of issues. And the topic came up I mentioned that I was working with We Build the Wall. And he said, well, you tell the people you are working with that this project has my blessing.

ACOSTA: Just last month, the President told Fox he appreciated Bannon support.

TRUMP: He says the greatest president ever. I mean, he's saying things and I said, let's keep Steve out there. He's doing a good job.

ACOSTA: Bannon is just the latest in a long line of former Trump aides and associates to be indicted or found guilty in court.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's it say about your judgment that these are the kinds of people --

TRUMP: Well, I have no idea.

ACOSTA: As for the President downplaying his connection to Bannon, Mr. Trump has used that line before on his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort once his legal troubles began.

TRUMP: I know. Mr. Manafort haven't spoken to me in a long time, but I know him.

ACOSTA: White House is also dancing around Mr. Trump's comments about QAnon.

TRUMP: I've heard these are people that love our country.

ACOSTA: With the press secretary struggling to explain the President's embrace of the fringe movement. He

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He is talking about his supporters. He believes his supporters are good, hard working people that love this country.

ACOSTA: President also sounded off a judge's ruling that Mr. Trump may have to hand over his tax returns to prosecutors in New York.

TRUMP: Nobody has anything. We did -- we don't do things wrong.

ACOSTA: More headwinds for a president whose aides still refuse to say whether he'll accept the election results.

MARC SHORT, CHIEF OF STAFF TO VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE: I don't think the campaign has any doubt that the American people will reelect Donald Trump and Mike Pence for four more years this November.

ACOSTA: But it's the mounting challenges from the coronavirus pandemic that continue to weigh down Mr. Trump's reelection chances. Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy is the latest high profile Republican to test positive for COVID-19, a virus the President keeps saying will disappear.

[17:05:05]

TRUMP: It's going away now. It'll go away.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And late today a Republican group of former national security officials released a statement endorsing Biden in the 2020 race. The officials who served in the Reagan, Bush and Trump administration's all describe the President as unfit to lead the nation, saying he failed on the coronavirus, solicited foreign influence in the upcoming election and aligned himself with dictators around the world. Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Jim, thank you. Jim Acosta at the White House.

And now the latest on the coronavirus pandemic. Our -- Erica Hill is working this part of the story for us from New York.

Erica, hardhead Florida has passed a troubling milestone. Update us on the latest.

ERICA HILL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Wolf, that's right. The state reporting today they added another 117 deaths and that pushes the number of Florida residents who have died of this virus to more than 10,000, nationwide more than 173,000 lives lost to coronavirus.

And while there are some encouraging signs in areas around the country, jets remain stuck at this very troubling high plateau of more than 1000 a day, a number deaths have been at in this country for more than three weeks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HILL (voice-over): The good news, hospitalizations and new cases continue to decline in most states. The bad news, that trend may not last.

DR. WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, PROFESSOR, DIVISION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, VANDERBILT UNIV. MEDICAL CENTER: It's not a sprint, it's a marathon. We have to maintain these mitigation efforts if we want to keep controlling this virus.

HILL: The head of the White House's vaccine program Operation Warp Speed says the country could get back to normal if people get vaccinated. He believes a vaccine may be widely available by next spring. While the nation waits the White House Coronavirus Task Force warning Georgia in a report obtained by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, that it's small gains or fragile.

Thousands of K through 12 students across the country have been asked to quarantine including nearly 2000 in Mississippi.

GOV. TATE REEVES (R-MS): If we will to keep our kids in school, if we want to keep our colleges open, if we want to have an opportunity to have college football, we have to remain vigilant.

HILL: A considerable number of college students in that state have tested positive, including more than a dozen athletes at Ole Miss.

Notre Dame which has announced hundreds of cases now says five of those are football players. Colleges in at least 17 states now reporting positive cases.

DR. DEBORAH BIRX, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE RESPONSE COORDINATOR: Each university not only has to do entrance testing, but what we really talked to every university about is being able to do surge testing. How are you going to do 5,000 samples in one day or 10,000 sampled in one day?

HILL: Several University of Connecticut students evicted from their dorms after an on campus party where the school says students were not wearing masks. Were closely assembled and endangering not only their own health and well-being, but that of others.

DR. PAUL OFFIT, VACCINE EDUCATION CENTER DIRECTOR, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: They're used to doing things like partying, drinking, I mean, you know, gathering together whether on or off campus and to ask them not to do that is to ask I think too much of these young adults who basically at that age, consider themselves to be invulnerable.

HILL: Massachusetts will now require flu shots for all public school students starting in kindergarten up through college.

A teachers union in Detroit approved a safety strike, as New York City's warns it schools are ready for a return. The mayor pledging more detailed safety measures in response to mounting pressure.

MAYOR DE BLASIO (D-NY), NEW YORK CITY: We are going to make sure these schools are safe and ready. And if we don't think they're safe and ready, they won't be open.

HILL: This Hollywood Hills home in the dark after the city of Los Angeles made good on the mayor's promise to shut off utility service it's so called party houses.

MAYOR ERIC GARCETTI (D-CA), LOS ANGELES: These large house parties have essentially become nightclubs in the hills.

HILL: The mayor said multiple warnings to stop the gatherings were ignored.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: AMC theaters, which is the largest movie chain in the country, Wolf, is reopening more than 100 locations today. Not clear how many people will feel comfortable going to the theater to see a movie, but they are trying to draw people in with what they call 1920s pricing 15 sets to see the show.

BLITZER: Erica Hill reporting with the latest on that. Erica, thank you.

Let's get some more on all of this. Our Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is with us.

Sanjay, with at least 17 states now reporting coronavirus cases of colleges and universities. So what does that tell us not only about the risks of colleges reopening but also just about reopening and more broadly. DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Wolf, I've talked to several of these administrators over the past few months and there was all sorts of plans in place to avoid this happening. But you know, I think what it teaches us is a few things. One is that obviously this is a very contagious virus that reminds us of this.

And also, you know, there were criteria in place to think about when trying to reopen things in various communities.

[17:10:04]

And in these gating criteria, most places despite their efforts have not been able to meet these criteria seeing a downward trend overall in cases for 14 days, seeing a positivity rate that's below at least 10 percent, preferably below 5 percent. It's just very hard when you have a contagious virus out there and a lot of spread within the community.

And as Paul Offit just said, in Erica's piece, the virus behaves exactly how you'd expect and so do college students. I mean, they're getting together. And these off campus parties seem to be a big problem at Notre Dame and UNC and other places. It's very hard to sort of monitor students.

One more quick thing I'll say about testing, Wolf, because that's been a big issue. Several these universities have been coming up with their own tests, but the testing itself is not going to obviously prevent people from getting infected. So the testing, I think that's a good move, but the key is to prevent the infections in the first place.

BLITZER: We're also learning Sanjay that a Yale professor issued a very stark warning in an e-mail to returning students saying in her words, and I quote, "We all should be emotionally prepared for widespread infections and possibly deaths in our community." She goes on to say students will have life or death consequences as a result of all of this. So she's right, right?

GUPTA: Yes, I mean, you know, it's -- I read the letter. It's a it's a tough letter to read. It was very honest. It was actually written back in July in anticipation of, you know, schools opening now in August.

She also said in that letter that residence halls are more likely to look like hospital units rather than residence halls. And that's because people are likely to be isolated and quarantined in their rooms, you know, as a result of this.

Wolf, what we know as you open things up, there's going to be more people who become infected and more people who become hospitalized and sadly more people who will die. The question is, can you contain these outbreaks?

And I think we're getting plenty of clues now, Wolf. And universities all around the country in several states that it's just very hard to contain it because we're still very much in the thick of this pandemic with millions of people who've been infected already in the country. BLITZER: Yes. And even some of the students who are infected, they may be totally asymptomatic. They may not have a clue that they have coronavirus but they can transmit it to their friends and family and all sorts of others.

Let's turn to antibodies, Sanjay. An infectious disease group today recommending waiting a few weeks after exposure to COVID-19 to test for antibodies. Explain why.

GUPTA: But what happens, Wolf, after you are exposed to the virus, it takes a bit of time for your body to start making these special cells known as antibodies. And as a general rule, one to three weeks after you recover from the illness and, you know, three to five weeks or four to five weeks after symptoms began in the illness.

You know, the longer you wait, you know, the better chance you're actually going to be able to find some of these antibodies. So you want to make sure you're not testing too early.

Also, a lot of these tests, Wolf, the way these antibody tests work, they're trying to basically find if you have antibodies to this coronavirus, but some of these tests may find antibodies to previous coronaviruses, in which case you would be given a positive result, even though you don't have antibodies to this particular coronavirus, that's considered a false positive.

And that's a concern, Wolf, because someone says, I got the antibodies, I'm protected, I'm good to go. But if it's a false positive, that's a false sense of assurance, Wolf.

BLITZER: It certainly. And a disturbing development and as you well reported, Sanjay, the White House Coronavirus Task Force member, Dr. Anthony Fauci, a good friend of yours, a friend of mine, he actually had surgery earlier today to remove a polyp from his vocal cord. I know you got a text from him. What can you tell us about the surgery and how's he doing?

GUPTA: Yes, well, he's doing well. He's home now, Wolf. This is something that he's been wanting to have done for a while. I can show you the images, sort of, these are just graphic images of the rep of what a polyp on the vocal cord looks like. That's what it is. It's typically something that develops from overuse of the vocal cords.

People, you know, who are straining their voice a lot as he has, Wolf, I mean talking almost nonstop for the last several months. He also had a bad flu in December, pre-COVID. And he thinks these vocal cords started getting strained at that point. And then obviously, the last few months have been really challenging.

So he decided to finally have this done. It's an outpatient procedure, but it does require general anesthesia.

And you know, look, he's almost 80 years old. So anytime you plan these types of operations in someone of that age, you know, you obviously got to make sure you're being very cautious. But sounds like everything went well. Doctors are telling him that he's going to recover well. But we're probably not going to hear from him for a while because part of the recovering from this sort of operation is to basically not talk or talk very minimally for a while.

[17:15:03]

BLITZER: Yes, let him rest up. We're happy that we're not going to hear from at least for a while he needs to recover fully. And we hope he has a very speedy recovery. He'll be out speaking to all of us very soon as well.

Sanjay, thanks very much for that.

Coming up, we're standing by to see if we get excerpts from tonight's speeches at the Democratic Convention, including Joe Biden. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Democrats are gearing up for the final night of their historic virtual national convention with Joe Biden poised to accept the nomination for president of the United States. Let's go to our Political Correspondent, Arlette Saenz, she's in Wilmington Delaware for us.

[17:20:08]

Arlette, for Joe Biden, this is the culmination of a political career that spans almost half a century.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It really is, Wolf. And just a short while ago Joe Biden was out here with his wife Jill, he told reporters he is feeling good heading into this evening. And as he set to deliver that speech tonight there'll be a video from his grandchildren also remarks from his daughter Ashley and his son Hunter as their father prepares to give the biggest speech of his political career.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAENZ (voice-over): It's a moment 33 years in the making, with Joe Biden taking his turn as the Democratic nominee for president.

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I will be president for all Americans.

SAENZ: The 77-year-old Biden delivering his speech in the states that launched his political career, electing him to the Senate at the age of 29. And eventually taking him to the White House with Barack Obama.

But tonight, Biden making the case for himself as president. A speech expected not to focus on the current occupant of the White House, but instead on Biden's vision for where he'll take the country.

BIDEN: We need to get to work. Pulling this nation out of these crises we find ourselves in. Getting our economy back on track uniting this nation. And yes, winning the battle for the soul of America. SAENZ: The final convention night featuring former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and veterans like Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg. And a personal moment coming tonight 13-year-old Braden Harrington, who bonded with Biden over their mutual stutters set to speak in a primetime video.

BRAYDEN HARRINGTON: He showed me how he marks his addresses to make them easier to say out loud, so I did the same thing today.

SAENZ: On night three of the convention, Biden's running mate Kamala Harris breaking barriers as the first woman of color on a major party ticket.

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), PRESUMPTIVE VICE-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I accept your nomination for vice president of the United States of America.

SAENZ: The former prosecutor readying her case against President Trump.

HARRIS: I know a predator when I see one.

SAENZ: But it was former President Obama the most stinging and unprecedented rebuke of his successor.

OBAMA: He has shown no interest in putting in the work, no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves.

SAENZ: The first black president with a message from the birthplace of American democracy, Philadelphia.

OBAMA: That's what's at stake right now. Our democracy.

SAENZ: And the woman who lost to President Trump four years ago urging voters not to take anything for granted in November.

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: And don't forget, Joe and Kamala can win by 3 million votes and still lose. Take it from me. So, we need numbers overwhelming, so Trump can't sneak or steal his way to victory.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAENZ: Now we're also learning there will be a tribute video to Joe Biden's late son Beau who passed away from brain cancer that will come in a segment relating to veterans. And this, of course, is the first time that Joe Biden will be on the Democratic ticket without his son Beau here with him. Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Arlette, will be checking in with you throughout the night. Thank you very much.

Let's get some more on all of this. Our Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash is with us. Our Senior Political Reporter, Nia-Malika Henderson is with us. And Nia in the speech tonight, how important is it for Joe Biden to make this about more than simply a referendum on President Trump?

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Joe Biden has got to make the case for Joe Biden. He's got to convince voters that not only does he recognize the stresses and strains economically in just in terms of this COVID pandemic that people are going through every day, he's got to convince them that he is the man to fix it, that I think is the top most thing he has to do.

We've heard all week that he is a man of great kindness and dignity and looks out for the little guy. He's going to have to make that case. In some way talk about what kind of policy prescriptions he has, but really connect with people in -- particularly those people who might be on the fence. Maybe they voted for Donald Trump in 2016. Maybe they have some doubts now. He's got to convince them that they should leave their party and pull the lever for Joe Biden.

He's also got to convince these 4 million people who voted for Obama in 2016 or voted for Obama in 2012 and stayed home in 2016. He's got to convince those 4 million people or some, you know, some percentage of those people that they should come out and pull the lever for him this time.

Listen, he's not a strong order. He's not somebody who's, you know, known for his stem-winders in browsing a crowd, but thankfully tonight he doesn't have a crowd. So this sort of intimate setting I think will do well for him.

[17:25:07]

BLITZER: Looking forward to hearing what he has to say.

You know, Dana, do you expect this to tie into a Biden's original message when he first jumped into this presidential contest of this in his words is a battle for the soul of the nation?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Look, that has been the theme that he has been pushing since day one. And it's something that has become even more front and center as the pandemic has taken hold. And as things have gotten pretty out of hand in lots of different ways in this country.

So, the former vice president, his campaign, they have leaned into that, more than ever, given where we are today in this country. And you can definitely expect to hear according to people we talked to, to hear the former vice president talking about that in a really intense way tonight.

And just even more broadly, we've heard so much about why Donald Trump is bad and should be replaced and should be fired. And our understanding is that the focus is going to be much more on why Joe Biden should be hired, as it normally traditionally is. But it's even more, perhaps important for him this time around given the fact that, of course, it's a referendum on the incumbent, it always is. But because of everything that's happening with the pandemic and the President Trump's leadership and everything that goes with it, people know less about Joe Biden than they would have under normal circumstances.

BLITZER: There also, Nia, are going to be some tributes to Congressman John Lewis and Joe Biden's son, Beau Biden. How do you think these emotional moments will resonate with potential voters?

HENDERSON: You know, the Democratic Party I think has done a really good job in touching by, you know, having kind of tributes to people that really connect with viewers. And I expect the same, John Lewis obviously died just recently and Beau Biden such touchstone for Kamala Harris, a touchstone obviously for Joe Biden as well. So I think it'll really move people.

And again, they want to connect with people emotionally and so I think that'll be the purpose of these videos. And I'm sure of viewers at home will make that kind of emotional connection with those lost figures and therefore Joe Biden as well.

BLITZER: I'm sure you are right. All right, Nia and Dana, guys will be seeing you throughout the night as well.

Coming up I will get Congressman Adam Schiff's take on all of this. As well as the breaking news and yet another former Trump associate in deep trouble right now with the law.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:32:44]

BLITZER: Joe Biden's acceptance speech now just hours away. Plenty to discuss with our next guest, the House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff. Congressman, thanks so much for joining us. We're going to see Joe Biden accept the Democratic nomination for president of the United States, what's on the line when he gives us acceptance speech later tonight?

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Well, I'm really looking forward to it. And, you know, this is a chance for the Vice President to speak directly to the American people. He'll have one of the largest audiences he's ever had. And I think that he needs to both project exactly who he is, which is the fundamental decency and character that he carries. And so such a profound contrast to the President.

But also appeal to people to get out and vote early. With all of the attacks on the Postal Service, with all the questions being raised by the President, then his effort to discredit the votes of millions. The Vice President needs to make the case that people really need to exercise that vote of the prospect of foundational right, in a democracy that people fought, bled and died for their own beloved John Lewis, devoted his career and life too. That is also an essential part of the Vice President's message tonight.

BLITZER: Last night, former President Obama as we all heard, delivered a very somber warning to the nation on the state of our democracy. Why do you think he decided to give that speech now, after years of reluctance to weigh in on the Trump presidency?

SCHIFF: Well, if you're right, it was extraordinary. It was not what I was expecting for the various you mentioned that he is really refrain from engaging Donald Trump. But I think he felt at this point that democracy was in such peril, that he needed to speak very plainly, the American people that kind of tradition of not criticizing your successor, had to go by the wayside when that successor was posing a real threat to our institutions.

And he was absolutely right in that devastating critique. The President is not up to the job. He is not growing in the job. He's not capable of leading. He's not interested in leading and the country during this pandemic, economic crisis at a time when people are really, you know, questioning what is America stands for, needs a new leader, someone like Joe Biden. And I think no one made that case more powerfully than Barack Obama.

[17:35:04]

BLITZER: Let's get to some other news that we're following today. The President's former Senior Adviser Steve Bannon, as you know, he just pled not guilty to charges. He defrauded hundreds of thousands of people who donated to a private effort to build the President's border wall siphoning off in the process, allegedly more than a million dollars for himself. So what's your reaction to these charges and President Trump's claim that he hasn't dealt with Bannon in the words of the President for a long period of time?

SCHIFF: Well, can any of us really be surprised? The President has surrounded himself with a den of thieves. The campaign chairman indicted and convicted, the deputy campaign chairman indicted and convicted. His National Security Adviser indicted, pled guilty repeatedly. His longtime political advisor strategist Roger Stone pled guilty, or was tried and convicted rather. And now the latest that his personal lawyer Michael Cohen also went to jail.

Donald Trump himself identified as individual, number one, in an indictment in New York. This is the kind of corrupt administration of Donald Trump. And the fact that they were just ripping off their own in effect with this wall scheme, you know, it shouldn't surprise people that is who they are. It's just a bunch of people out for themselves and consumed by graft of one kind or another. And, of course, the irony is, this is a President who claimed to drain the swamp when he has made it into a complete cesspool.

BLITZER: Also today, a federal judge, and you heard this, rejected President Trump's efforts to try to stop his tax returns from being handed over to the Manhattan district attorney. The President is appealing, but what implications potentially could this have for you guys, for House Democrats, your efforts to get the President's financial records, his tax returns, for example?

SCHIFF: Well, you know, I think it's certainly a very promising sign that the courts are doing what they should. They're maintaining an independent judgment as they need to, but also that we have a good opportunity to determine, are there conflicts of interest -- this is the Intel committee's interest -- are there conflicts of interest that are guiding or forcing U.S. policy in a direction that's not in our national security interests? Is the reason why the President can't criticize Putin won't stand up to him even when there's credible information about potential bounties on U.S. troops, because the President wants something financially or is indebted to someone financially?

We already know he wanted to build that Trump Tower in Moscow, he probably still wants to build it. So there's already political and economic compromise that we know of. But those tax returns and those Deutsche Bank records, may shed a lot more light on why the President is behaving the way he is, in a way that's not in U.S. national interest.

BLITZER: Yes, we'll see if those documents are made available to you before or after potentially the November 3rd election. Before I let you go, Congressman, the Postmaster General will be testifying tomorrow in the Senate next Monday in the House of Representatives on the changes he's made that are slowing down mail delivery throughout the United States right now. What questions does he immediately need to answer?

SCHIFF: Well, I think he needs to answer, are you going to put the sorting machines back? Are you going to restore these blue postal boxes more than they belong? Are you going to make sure that the Postal Service has the resources its needs? Are you going to advocate like your own Postal Commission for the 25 billion that the postal service needs? Or are you simply going to carry dirty water for the President?

I think he should step down, Wolf. He has conflicts of interest. He owns shares in competing shipping businesses. What's more -- the steps he's already taken have been destructive enough. But those are some of the questions I think he's going to need to answer.

BLITZER: Yes. We'll have extensive coverage tomorrow and Monday of these hearings. Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.

SCHIFF: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Adam Schiff is the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

Coming up, Russia announces major new trials of a possible COVID vaccine as the questions continue about whether it works and whether it's safe.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:43:49]

BLITZER: Two big stories out of Russia today. One is a major announcement about a potential COVID vaccine which has already generated worries that it's being rushed into use without adequate precautions. The others, they suspected poisoning of yet another opponent of Vladimir Putin. CNN's Matthew Chance is joining us live from Moscow right now. So Matthew, first phase 3 trials for this vaccine are supposed to start next week. But there are still plenty of unanswered questions. You've done a lot of reporting on this. Update our viewers on what you know.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, you're right. There's still a lot of questions about it. What the Russians are now saying is that starting from next week, there's going to be sort of mass clinical trials involving some 40,000 people, mainly in Russia, but also in other countries like the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, the UAE has been mentioned, possibly India and Brazil, according to Russian officials. They're going to be, you know, meeting the same standards as you would normally get in the rest of the world when it comes to phase 3 human trials.

But, of course, they're not being called phase 3 human trials, they're being called post-registration trials. Because Russia has already registered and approved the vaccine that it's produced, they called it Sputnik V.

[17:45:09]

And they're progressing forward with their mass vaccination program to inoculate frontline healthcare workers and teachers and other vulnerable groups like that. And so they're doing that in parallel to these, you know, kind of phase 3 tests. But it kind of defeats the object really, because the whole purpose of the phase 3 trials is to determine the safety and effectiveness of the drug. But they're going that and they're already, you know, giving the vaccination to people who are in the most vulnerable groups in society. And so that's still the criticism.

The other thing they're doing, just very briefly, is they say, look, we haven't published any data yet. We're going to do it earlier this month. Now we're going to do it, you know, by the end of the month. So the day-to-day have got (ph) from their clinical trials can be peer reviewed. Wolf.

BLITZER: Well, let's see if they do. It's almost the end of the month. Matthew, we're following another very disturbing developing story out of Russia. An opposition leader and other one is now in the hospital after so many people suspect he was actually poisoned. What can you tell us first of all about his condition? What do we know about this?

CHANCE: Alexei Navalny, he's, you know, by far, the most prominent opposition figure in Russia. Tonight, he's in a intensive care ward in a hospital in Omsk, in Siberia, which is where the plane he was traveling back to Moscow on from the far east of the country, was forced to land when he became suddenly very sick. This terrible images that have been taken by fellow passengers, you can hear Alexei Navalny screaming with agony really, as he's taken by medics off the plane to an awaiting ambulance. Really, really disturbing. It just shows you how distressed and how much pain he was in.

His supporters, his lawyers, they say he was poisoned. There should be a police investigation into this. The doctors at the hospital a moment are saying, look, you know, we haven't reached that diagnosis yet. But, you know, what we do know, Russia has a very, very bad record of, you know, silencing critics like Alexei Navalny through violence, Wolf.

BLITZER: Certainly does. All right, Matthew, thanks very much. I know you're working on that story as well. We'll check back with you.

There's more breaking news here in "The Situation Room". Former Trump Senior Advisor Steve Bannon appears in court, enters his plea after being arrested on federal fraud charges.

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[17:52:21]

BLITZER: More now in the breaking news, former Trump Senior Advisor Steve Bannon pleading not guilty just a little while ago to federal fraud charges in connection with a border wall fundraising campaign. Our Chief Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin is here to discuss. He's also the author of the brand new book entitled, "True Crimes and Misdemeanors". There you see it, the investigation of Donald Trump. It's a New York Times, already a New York Times bestseller.

You know, Jeff, the -- Steve Bannon arrested on this yacht today for fraud -- yacht, apparently, owned by some Chinese billionaire -- one of the President's earliest advisors, the founder of a conservative Breitbart News system over there. What do you make of all of these? It's is a very dramatic development.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: Steve Bannon is in a world of trouble. Just keep in mind, well, more than 90 percent of the people who were indicted in federal court wind up either convicted or pleading guilty. And this case, at least on the surface looks very straightforward. They have this supposedly charitable fundraising operation. They repeatedly told contributors, we are taking none of this money for ourselves, not a penny. And they gave themselves hundreds of thousands of dollars. That's fraud.

Bannon also has the problem, that he is the most famous of the four defendants. In circumstances like that, almost always one or more of the others flip, plead guilty and cooperate. And if that's the case, Bannon is in even deeper trouble.

BLITZER: Yes, because if they plead guilty and cooperate, presumably, they'll wind up getting a much lighter sentence that if they plead not guilty and forced the government to go through all of that. So that's a big development indeed. What about the President's tax records? A federal judge ruled today that New York state prosecutors could, could have access to accounting records tax returns for a criminal investigation involving the President, presumably. How big of a deal is this?

TOOBIN: Well, it's a very big deal. It was all preordained by the Supreme Court's decision at the end of their term this year. But the important thing to remember is these records will be turned over. There's just no doubt, but they will be in a secret grand jury proceeding. And there is no chance, I think, that these records will be made public by the Manhattan D.A. before the election. So that's a loss for President Trump, but the secrecy is a win.

BLITZER: Jeffrey Toobin helping us better, appreciate the law, as he always does. Thanks very much for joining us.

TOOBIN: Okee dokee, Wolf.

[17:55:00]

BLITZER: Yes. There's more breaking news here in "The Situation Room", the White House declares teachers essential workers, as part of its effort to get schools reopened around the country.

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BLITZER: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world, I'm Wolf Blitzer in "The Situation Room". We're following breaking news. The coronavirus pandemic has now killed more than 174,000 Americans with more than 1,300 U.S. deaths just yesterday. There are now more than 5.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States.