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Trump Trying To Rush Coronavirus Vaccine?; Republican National Convention Begins; An 8:00 P.M. Curfew Ordered After Violent Protests Over Police Shooting Of Unarmed Black Man In Wisconsin; New York State Attorney General Investigating Trump Organization For Allegedly Inflating Value Of Trump's Assets; Hurricane And Storm Surge Watches Issued As Two Major Storms Head Towards Gulf Coast. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired August 24, 2020 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:21]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

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 coronavirus death toll in the United States has just passed 177,000. There are now more than 5.7 million confirmed U.S. cases, but new infections might be slowing down across much of the United States. The virus is actually trending downward right now in at least 25 states since this time last week.

We're watching all of this very closely.

We're also counting down to the first night of the Republican National Convention. President Trump is seeking a political boost as he formally accepts the GOP nomination and pushes health officials to rush through treatments and vaccines for the coronavirus.

And we're following a very disturbing story out of Kenosha, Wisconsin, where police shot an unarmed black man right in front of his children. The city has just announced at 8:00 p.m. curfew after a night of unrest. And look at this. There are now protests spreading in other cities as well, including New York City, where hundreds are marching on the streets, live pictures coming in from New York right now.

Let's begin, though, over at the White House.

Our correspondent Kaitlan Collins is joining us.

Kaitlan, the president is kicking off his convention by raging against mail-in voting. He's stepping up his pressure campaign on federal health officials. Tell us what you're learning.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he did all that today, Wolf, while making this surprise appearance in Charlotte, where the convention was supposed to be held pre-pandemic, saying he felt like he had an obligation to be there.

But while he was there, Wolf, he casts doubt on the November election, if it's primarily done by mail. And he also teased some possible medical breakthroughs when it comes to a vaccine, as skeptics are raising questions about whether he's mixing politics with science.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS (voice-over): On the eve of the Republican Convention, President Trump announced the FDA will grant emergency approval to use blood plasma as a coronavirus treatment.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to thank the FDA.

COLLINS: Trump and his aides pressured the agency to move faster on granting the approval, claiming deep state officials were deliberately delaying progress for political reasons.

TRUMP: I think that there were people in the FDA and actually in your larger department that can see things being held up and wouldn't mind so much. It's my opinion, a very strong opinion.

COLLINS: The emergency approval was held up by concerns among top government scientists, who wanted more data before signing off, though two of Trump's aides claimed they were slow-walking the approval.

MARK MEADOWS, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: If they don't see the light, they need to feel the heat.

PETER NAVARRO, DIRECTOR, WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF TRADE AND MANUFACTURING POLICY: And convalescent plasma, I mean, that's like going after Bambi.

COLLINS: The FDA commissioner didn't address Trump's attacks, but praised him, before later saying in a statement that the decision was made based on data and not politics.

DR. STEPHEN HAHN, COMMISSIONER, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION: Thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership.

COLLINS: The announcement comes as CNN is also reporting that, last month, White House officials raised the possibility of granting a similar emergency authorization for a vaccine before critical phase three trials are even completed.

TRUMP: The vaccines are going to be, I believe, announced very soon.

COLLINS: Raising concerns that politics is being put ahead of science.

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

TRUMP: If you want to really drive him crazy, you say 12 more years.

COLLINS: Trump kicked off the week with a surprise appearance at Republicans' scaled-down convention in Charlotte, where he continued his assault on voting by mail.

TRUMP: What they're doing is using COVID to steal an election. COLLINS: Trump made clear he was irritated that his convention was

being overshadowed by the second hearing in less than a week for the U.S. postmaster general.

TRUMP: They're showing these hearings that are very boring, actually. And they're not showing this.

COLLINS: On Capitol Hill, Louis DeJoy defended changes made and said he won't reinstate the nearly 700 mail sorting machines that were removed in recent months.

REP. STEPHEN LYNCH (D-MA): Will you put the...

(CROSSTALK)

LYNCH: ... high-speed machines back?

(CROSSTALK)

LOUIS DEJOY, U.S. POSTMASTER GENERAL: ... outrage -- No, I will not.

LYNCH: You will not?

DEJOY: Will not.

COLLINS: DeJoy, a former logistics expert, conceded at one point that he does not know the cost of mailing a postcard.

REP. KATIE PORTER (D-CA): You don't know the cost to mail a postcard?

DEJOY: I don't.

COLLINS: Trump's convention begins after a weekend of unflattering headlines after it was revealed that his niece secretly recorded his older sister describing him as a liar with no principles.

MARYANNE TRUMP BARRY, SISTER OF DONALD TRUMP: This goddamn tweet and the lying, oh, my God. I'm talking too freely, but you know. It is the change of stories, the lack of preparation, the lying, the holy shit.

[18:05:05]

COLLINS: Then, on Monday, over two dozen Republicans who have served in Congress endorsed his opponent, Joe Biden, including former Arizona Republican Senator Jeff Flake.

FMR. SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R-AZ): Go, Joe.

COLLINS: This week. Trump is hoping to rewrite the narrative.

KELLYANNE CONWAY, COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT: Ours is going to be very uplifting, optimistic, forward-looking convention.

COLLINS: Kellyanne Conway's speech at the convention Wednesday will be one of her last as a White House employee. She told the president Sunday night she will step down from her role

as senior adviser at the end of the month to focus on her family, saying: "For now and for my beloved children, it will be less drama, more mama."

Her husband, the conservative attorney George Conway, will also pull back from his role in the anti-Trump group that he founded, The Lincoln Project.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Now, Wolf, that is not the only thing looming in the background of the president's convention.

The New York state attorney general is also asking a judge to order his son Eric Trump to go under oath and testify in their investigation of the Trump Organization and whether or not they committed fraud by overstating their assets to get bank loans.

The New York state attorney general says Eric Trump, who is the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, abruptly canceled a scheduled interview with their office last month. And so now they want this judge to order him to have to talk to them under oath and also turn over documents.

BLITZER: Kaitlan Collins at the White House for us -- Kaitlan, thank you.

Let's get an update right down the coronavirus pandemic.

CNN's Nick Watt is joining us from Los Angeles.

Nick, we're getting some breaking news on school reopenings in Florida. What can you tell us?

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, a judge in that state has just stopped the state from forcing schools to at least offer five days a week in-person brick-and-mortar education.

The teachers union sees this as a big victory. They say that their hands will no longer be tied as they try to keep students and staff safe.

Listen, across the country, Wolf, there is a lot of optimism right now. We are at the moment coming down a mountain. But, boy, is it a big mountain. There's optimism. There are also many issues.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WATT (voice-over): There were plenty of motorcycles, but very few masks in Sturgis, South Dakota.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They can all kiss my ass. I'm going.

WATT: Now cases are climbing alarmingly in the Dakotas and 27 cases in Minnesota connected to the rally. Over in Illinois, there's a resurgence after a summer lull and a

record death toll in Arkansas on Saturday. But, nationwide, for the first time in about a month, the average daily death toll did just drop below 1,000. And in half our states, new infection rates are falling, the Sunbelt slammed in the summer, now easing up.

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): You just got to take it step by step, day at a time, but I think that, clearly, if you go back six weeks, to where we were to where we are now, those are positive trends.

WATT: The University of Miami Hurricanes will allow 13,000 masked fans in for their season opener in a little over two weeks, but no tailgating.

And no frat house ragers allowed many places, a second Penn State fraternity just suspended, after hosting a large social gathering over the weekend. And after an uptick at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa just closed every bar in the city, outbreaks on college campuses in at least 19 states.

New York area airports now offering tests to employees and incoming travelers, voluntary, but encouraged. Meanwhile, Danbury, Connecticut reporting a serious outbreak, we're told is mostly the result of domestic and international travel.

MARK BOUGHTON (R), MAYOR OF DANBURY, CONNECTICUT: Until there's an effect vaccine, these are the kinds of things we're going to have to deal with.

WATT: The EPA just authorized American Airlines to use a brand-new disinfectant on some flights that could kill this coronavirus on a surface for seven days.

ANDREW WHEELER, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ADMINISTRATOR: This is, I believe, a major game-changing announcement.

WATT: The FDA just granted emergency use authorization for a promising, but still largely unproven blood plasma treatment.

DR. ASHISH JHA, DIRECTOR, HARVARD GLOBAL HEALTH INSTITUTE: The fundamental questions about this therapy are still unanswered.

WATT: There was reportedly White House pressure on the FDA to grant that authorization. Could impact the main aim here.

DR. WILLIAM HASELTINE, INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT: And to see this agency distorted as it is makes me extremely worried about the safety and efficacy of any vaccine that may be approved. If you have political pressure, there is no guarantee that they will be safe. This is a very, very dangerous precedent.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[18:10:00]

WATT: And, Wolf, interesting news out of Hong Kong, the first confirmed case we know of somebody being infected with COVID-19 twice, a 33-year-old man.

He got sick back in the spring fever, a cough, et cetera, tested positive again 142 days later, but was asymptomatic. Now, the experts are still trying to figure out exactly what this means, but could be good news. Could mean that, if you have had the virus, your body will then fight it if it comes back -- Wolf.

BLITZER: We shall see. All right, Nick Watt reporting for us, thanks very much.

Let's get some analysis from Dr. Ashish Jha, the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute.

Dr. Jha, thanks so much for joining us.

And, as you know, first, President Trump accused what he called the deep state over at the FDA of slowing down treatments for coronavirus to hurt him politically. Then he said he broke the logjam there to get this emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma.

How dangerous is it for there to be this type of political pressure on these important, critically important medical developments?

JHA: Yes, Wolf, thanks for having me back on.

American people trust the scientists of the FDA and the CDC to make decisions based on evidence, based on data, and not based on the whims of political leaders. And it is absolutely critical that we maintain that faith if we're going to get through this pandemic.

And so I think referring to those scientists as deep state, putting pressure to create emergency use authorizations, all of that not just hurts those agencies, but really hurts America's faith in science. Much, much harder to get through this pandemic.

BLITZER: It certainly does.

And, today, the president actually teased an announcement on vaccines for coronavirus, he said, very soon. Do you worry he's trying to tie any positive news to his own reelection campaign calendar? And how will that impact the American public? They have to be convinced if there is a vaccine, it's safe and effective?

JHA: Yes, you know, vaccines, which have generally a terrific track record of safety and effectiveness, when they are studied carefully, are contentious enough.

There are people out there who are still skeptical. If we -- sort of if we perform these shenanigans of trying to push vaccines out to the public before they are ready, I think it would do enormous harm, not just for this vaccine, but for confidence in vaccines more generally.

So it's -- look, I don't know the timeline. I'm enthusiastic and excited about having a vaccine. But science is going to dictate that timeline. And when it's ready, it'll be ready. But it may be ready before the election, maybe after. We don't know and we can't rush it any more than we already are.

BLITZER: That's absolutely true.

We have also learned, Dr. Jha, that the White House raised the idea of granting what's called an emergency use authorization for a coronavirus vaccine before phase three trials were actually completed.

Are there any circumstances under which you think it would be appropriate to do such a thing?

JHA: I can't think of one.

I mean, look, phase three is the big game. Phase one and two is just the sort of warmups. And to declare victory before the game is over before, before you know whether the vaccine works and is safe, is incredibly dangerous and irresponsible.

So I'm hoping that is not what the White House does. I believe that the scientists at the FDA won't tolerate it. We have got to make sure that doesn't happen.

BLITZER: The average number of new daily cases across the United States is down right now. It's still much higher than the first peak in may. So where does the country, Dr. Jha, do you believe, where does the country stand right now, in terms of this deadly crisis?

JHA: Yes, so clearly better than where we were, right, a month ago. The number of cases has come down into the sort of 40,000-to-50,000-a- day range, still 1,000 people dying, though, I do expect those numbers to continue coming down. That's because deaths tend to lag.

But it's still an enormous amount of suffering every day, every week. We have a lot more work to do if we're going to get this virus level down to a point where we can go into the fall in better shape.

So, more work to do, but I think we should acknowledge that we have made good progress. And that is good news.

BLITZER: Dr. Jha, as usual, thank you so much for joining us.

JHA: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, just ahead, we're going to have more on President Trump's scheduled appearance at the first night of the Republican National Convention.

And protests are under way in New York after police in Wisconsin shot an unarmed black man in front of his children. You're looking at the demonstrators in New York City.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:19:00]

BLITZER: We're just hours away now from the first night of the Republican National Convention. Let's get a preview from our chief political correspondent, Dana Bash,

and our senior political reporter, Nia-Malika Henderson.

Dana, after seeing the president's opening remarks today -- he spoke for about a half-an-hour or so -- going off-script, attacking mail-in voting -- is this a preview of what's to come over the next few days?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It absolutely could be.

Unlikely that is what we're going to see when the president makes his real speech at the end of the convention the last day, but he is going to have appearances that are going to have live components.

And that's what the president does, especially when it is supposed to be an ad-lib kind of event, and we expect to see several of those as the week goes on.

So, look, this is a president who can't help himself. I mean, this was a huge moment for him in his political career. It's not like it was not a fait accompli. It was. He's the president of the United States. Of course he was going to accept -- or he was going to get the nomination during this roll call vote.

[18:20:05]

But before he could even acknowledge that, he launched into falsehoods about mail-in voting, which is what he leads with now almost every time he gets a chance, because he fundamentally believes that the more mail-in voting, the less likely it is he's going to win.

And that's just the bottom line.

BLITZER: Yes, that's an important point.

Nia, the Trump campaign is selling this week as a quote -- and I'm quoting now -- that they will contrast the gloomy vision of America projected by Joe Biden, the Democrats, to the more positive, uplifting atmosphere that's supposedly happening this week, the boundless optimism, they call it.

But that certainly was not a very hopeful or optimistic start earlier today.

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: That's right.

I mean, that's not who Donald Trump is. He is someone who does engage in falsehoods, conspiracy theories, whether it's about the deep state or something going on with the United States Postal Service. He's going to have a hard time, I think, staying on that optimistic message.

If you look at some of the speakers that they have lined up and some of the themes just throughout this next four days, they probably, within that convention, will likely to be able, at least with some speakers, to talk about America in a way that says Donald Trump came into office, and he was able to transform people's lives in certain ways.

I think that's the kind of optimism that they will they will probably project starting with tonight, starting with some of those speakers like Nikki Haley, Tim Scott. In some ways, it's certainly not the Republican Party we're used to seeing.

Some of those sort of Trumpian speakers are on the lineup tonight, but I think the main speakers, sort of the keynote speakers, will be more kind of like from the Bush wing or sort of the establishment wing of the Republican Party.

And with that, I do think they will be able to be much more optimistic and appeal particularly to some of those suburban voters that they have seen really flee the party over these last years.

BASH: And some of the real people, Wolf, real people, so to speak, the non-politicians, that they are going to have come to speak not, unlike what the Democrats did with their convention, will bring in testimonials, effectively.

And so those were not will not be the kind of American carnage sort of rhetoric that we heard from the president starting the day he was inaugurated, and it seeps into to so many of the speeches that he's given. Those will be a lot more sort of positive.

And that is likely why that's the kind of speech that his aides are pointing us to look forward to.

BLITZER: You know, Nia, a lot has been going on in these days leading up to the Republican Convention, and not good news for the president.

Steve Bannon, a longtime adviser, was arrested. The president's sister, older sister, called him cruel in audio secretly recorded by his niece, Mary Trump. Kellyanne Conway announced that she's leaving the White House.

The New York state attorney general has announced they're investigating whether the Trump Organization improperly inflated the value of the president's assets. Certainly, this isn't the way the president or the Republican Party, for that matter, would have wanted to kick off this convention.

HENDERSON: But, listen, it's kind of been the tale of this presidency, a lot of the folks around him getting in trouble, most recently, Jerry Falwell, who was one of his big evangelical backers, having to step down because of a scandal that he was involved in.

This is the Republican president that Republican members have come to accept and whose behavior they have excused. So he's been able to all of these many years essentially blame the deep state, blame all sorts of other people, and say, this isn't -- this doesn't really have anything to do with him and train his fire on Democrats very successfully.

So he's been able to really, I think, rally Republicans around him. You have seen some fraying among sort of rank-and-file voters, and you saw Democrats try to play that out by bringing people like a Colin Powell forward, talking about Joe Biden's relationship with John McCain, and today more Republicans coming out and saying that they're going to back Joe Biden over Donald Trump.

But, listen, this is the president that Republicans have, by and large, rallied around, no matter what people say about him, no matter what sort of controversies that he's involved in. And so this is the person that's going to lead this party.

And, tonight, I think they're going to try to sort of -- you get a sense of like what the post-Donald Trump presidency or the post Republican Party might look like, with people like Nikki Haley and people like Tim Scott.

But, for now, it is the party of Donald Trump.

BLITZER: We will see what happens over the next few hours.

And you ladies will be with us throughout the night. So, don't go too far away.

Just ahead, we're following protests after the police shooting of an unarmed black man in front of his children.

And there's more breaking news we're following.

[18:25:01]

Hurricane watches have just been issued for the Gulf Coast, as residents brace right now, 15 years after Katrina, right now, back-to- back storms moving towards Louisiana and Texas and the Gulf Coast.

We have a new forecast. We will have that, much more, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

BLITZER: There's breaking news.

We're following new protests after police in Wisconsin shot an unarmed black man in the back.

CNN's Polo Sandoval is joining us right now. He's tracking the story.

So, Polo you're on the scene there in Wisconsin. Give us the latest developments.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest, Wolf, is something that we really learned during your conversation with the Blake family attorney, Benjamin Crump, in the last hour, saying that Jacob Blake remains in the ICU, remains in stable condition, but his prognosis still very much still up in the air.

And I can't tell you that all day, we have seen many people on the streets here in Kenosha, Wisconsin, supporting Mr. Blake, and his family. But at the same time, we are also hearing from the local police unit and warns the video, as troubling as it is, may not tell the whole story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: With those gunshots, this Wisconsin father became another black man in America shot by police. Witnesses report that Jacob Blake he was attempting to break up a fight Sunday evening between two women before the Kenosha Police arrived.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I looked out the window and I see this black man get out of the truck. Rayshon White (ph), who requested we not show is face on camera, is the man who took the cell phone video depicting what happens next.

Two officers appeared to coral Blake to the drive's side of an SUV when he opens the door and attempts to get inside. Almost immediately, the shots are fired.

The family's attorney says Blake's three, five and eight-year-old children were inside the car at the time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was very angry at that moment. I had so many mixed emotions. I didn't know how to feel, and it did not happen to me, and I'm just witnessing it and recording it. I was so angry.

SANDOVAL: Who called police and why they were there remains unclear, as does what prompted officers to shoot. Kenosha Police say they were responding to a domestic dispute. In a statement to CNN, the Kenosha Professional Police Association says, as always, the video currently circulating does not capture all the intricacies of a highly dynamic incident. We ask that you withhold from passing judgment until all the facts are known and released.

The local authorities took swift action in the wake of the shooting, handing the investigation over to the state's department of justice. The two police officers are now on leave. Tonight, a curfew goes into effect in Kenosha as the community prepares for the possibility of more protests, at the heels of the demonstration Sunday night that targeted businesses and local government buildings.

This is not the first time Kenosha has dealt with questions surrounding its officer's use of force. Five years ago, officers responded to a call with an outstanding warrant. The incident ended with a suspect being fatally shot by police. The district attorney concluded that the use of force was necessary to stop the threat. For White (ph) and the other black members of the community, this is personal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It could have been me too. I stay right here. It could have been me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Something that we've heard echoed by many people that we've talked to here on the streets of Wisconsin, ultimately, what we do continue to see are those pockets of peaceful protesters, Wolf. They will have until 8:00 to do so. That's when the curfew that you just heard about will kick in.

As for the investigation, the Wisconsin's Department of Justice says, they may not wrap it for another 30 days. That means the family of the victim and, of course, so many others will have to wait possibly up to a month to get answers to those questions they have been asking for almost a day now.

BLITZER: Yes, that video so, so disturbing. Polo Sandoval in Kenosha, Wisconsin, for us, thank you.

I want to bring in our legal and law enforcement experts for some analysis. We are joined by our Senior Legal Analyst, Laura Coates, and the former captain of the Missouri Highway Patrol, Ron Johnson.

Captain Johnson, in the previous hour, I spoke with the lawyer, Ben Crump, who is now representing Jacob Blake's family. He says they are still piecing together what happened. But several witnesses to the shooting already have reached out to him. What stands out to you when you watched this truly horrific video?

RON JOHNSON, FORMER CAPTAIN, MISSOURI HIGHWAY PATROL: First of all, my prayers go out to the Blake family and hopefully Mr. Blake will recovery. What I saw, there were three officers there. I think it seemed to be an opportunity to run and tackle him and knock him down, but it was hard to see. And I think that it touches the heart of America, but it touches the heart of people of color.

And so, I think we have to make sure that we start -- we have de- escalation training, but I think we have to have real conversations, real training that isn't just check the box training. I think we begin to have this check the box training. I've told people what we saw on Sunday, we will continue to see, even after Mr. Floyd's death.

And so we will continue to see that until we start addressing this issue with law enforcement throughout the country. And I believe law enforcement unions are important but we cannot let the unions be the rule of law throughout the country and set policy and mandates for police departments.

And when I deal with my company in training, we have those honest conversations, sometimes they bring about anger and tears, but those are the conversations that have to happen before any of the other stuff works.

[18:35:06]

And we have to quit checking the box.

BLITZER: Yes, that is important.

You know, Laura, the attorney, Ben Crump, told me the last hour that Jacob Blake's three little boys, his three sons, were in the car. He was trying to get into the car himself. The family was actually celebrating one of the boy's birthdays that weekend. So what questions do we have right now, from a legal perspective, about how all these unfolded?

LAURA COATES, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, just hearing that, it makes it all the more devastating, that there were three little boys. three, five and eight, who saw seven shots ring out into the back of their father on a day when one is celebrating this birthday. I mean, tragedy unfolds. Thank goodness he is still alive. We are waiting to see what his prognosis will be to see if he has any additional information for people and to see his children again.

But, Wolf, my question as a lawyer, as a prosecutor, here is why. That's a very open-ended question, but why. Why was it necessary to use lethal force to repel an attack that did not seem to even be an attack? I don't see an indication of him trying harm the officers, to try to lunge towards the officer, to try to hurt them in any way. And so they used lethal force not as a last resort but as a knee jerk reaction is problematic.

Also, you have the question of what will take so long. People are hearing 30 days now, Wolf. That's probably the ceiling -- the floor and not the ceiling, and I mean, that, right, the idea that it could be longer, it could be as much as 30 days. But it likely could take less time because you have video footage, you have the witnesses who were there. Unfortunately, three of them are children who won't be very good witnesses. But you have a living victim at this point in time that can tell you what happened, what transpired.

But the officers involved, to think that they would have engaged in that behavior, requires them to explain, the onus is on them to explain why the use of lethal force, why the admittedly clear violation at this point in time, of the Fourth Amendment's rights against this excessive force here. And that is open, it needs to be answered right now.

BLITZER: Yes. Because even -- Captain Johnson, even if he was trying get into the car, they didn't want him to get into the car, that doesn't mean you have to shoot him seven times in the back to prevent him getting from into the car.

As you know, the Wisconsin Department of Justice is investigating the shooting, but for now, the officers, they have been put on leave. What will you be watching for in the coming days?

JOHNSON: I'll be watching for some transparency. And I believe -- I agree with our other guest, that 30 days is a long time. But I think you have to be transparent along the way and get the information out and clear this case as soon as you can. But that's what I will be watching for. Hopefully, Mr. Blake will recovery, we can hear his side of the story.

But I think you have to tell us why, his back was to you, and he was walking from you. He wasn't even running. That you could not have tried to stop him before he got in his car, before the conversation will come up of any kind of threat, why didn't we stop him before he got to the car? So, I want to hear that information.

And I also looked at, when he was at the rear of the car, before he even got around to the front of the car. At least three officers had their weapons drawn. What, at that point, made you draw your weapons at that point?

BLITZER: Yes. The mayor of Kenosha says that police officers there do not have body cameras, so no body cameras. We will see if there's other cameras around there, other witnesses who step forward as well. All right, there's a lot more that we don't know. We will watch it closely with you. Thanks to both of you for joining us.

And just ahead, here in THE SITUATION ROOM, we'll have more on a New York State investigation in to the Trump organization's finances.

And we are also tracking the latest forecast for back-to-back storms taking direct aim right now at the Gulf Coast, including Louisiana and Texas.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

BLITZER: The New York State attorney general today weighed in on the question of President Trump's finances. What the state officials are seeking is information on whether the Trump organization, quote, improperly inflated assets in order to obtain loans. Investigators say Eric Trump had originally agreed to appear in a deposition but backed out. Now, they want a judge to order him to appear.

Let's discuss with our Chief Legal Analyst, Jeffrey Toobin. He's the author of the best-selling new book, True Crimes and Misdemeanors, the Investigation of Donald Trump.

How big of a deal is this late breaking development, Jeff?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: Well, it's a very big deal because it means there is a second criminal investigation of the Trump organization in New York State. Here, you have this bank fraud investigation. But this is entirely separate from the Manhattan District Attorney's investigation, where they are on the verge obtaining the president's tax returns and financial records from his account.

So, you know, just because you are under investigation doesn't mean you have committed any crime or will be prosecuted. But it is unnerving to say the least to know, as the Trumps have to now know, that they are under a criminal investigation in New York State in two separate cases.

BLITZER: Yes, the Manhattan District Attorney and the New York State attorney general. The New York State attorney general is asking the court to compel Eric Trump to be deposed.

[18:45:00]

What does that tell you about the scope, where this investigation is heading? TOOBIN: Well, it's about the Trump organization. It is not necessarily about the president himself because, you know, the Trump sons are obviously very involved in, in the Trump Organization.

You know, this is a common kind of investigation, when there's, for fraud. Because if you submit false information to get a loan, from a bank, that's a crime. It's a crime under federal law and it's a crime under state law. And, you know, obviously what, what the attorney general in New York is looking at here is if false information was submitted intentionally.

BLITZER: Let me read the statement that Trump Organization issued in response to this, and here it is, quote. There's been no lawsuit filed by the New York attorney general. This is simply a discovery dispute over documents and the like.

As the motion papers clearly state the New York attorney general has made no determination that anything was improper or that any action is forthcoming, we will respond to this motion as appropriate. What do you make of the statement?

TOOBIN: Well, I think it is true that the existence of the investigation does not mean a crime was committed much less than anybody with the name Trump committed a crime. So, that part of it is true. That is also a carefully worded statement that does not commit anybody named Trump to cooperating with the investigation. So, we'll see, we'll see if anybody does.

BLITZER: How do you see all the legal developments, the Manhattan district attorney, the New York stay attorney general, how do you see it all playing out in the coming weeks and remember, the backdrop of it is 71 days until Election Day.

TOOBIN: Right. I mean, I think the existence of this investigation is surely a distraction and at minimum, it's an embarrassment for the president. I don't see anything, any indictments coming. Responsible prosecutors don't bring cases on the eve of the election.

Also, I do think that in the next week or so, the president will lose his case about his tax returns and his financial records. And those records will be turned over to the Manhattan district attorney. But they will not be disclosed publicly. These are grand jury -- it's a grand jury investigation, it's secret.

So, even though he is going to lose that case, those documents will not be made public.

BLITZER: I've got to let you go, but congratulations again on your new book. It is a best seller, a "New York Times" best seller, it deserves to be a bestseller. There's the book again, "True Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Investigation of Donald Trump." Jeffrey Toobin --

TOOBIN: Thanks.

BLITZER: -- the author, thank you, Jeffrey, very much. And just ahead, we're following more breaking news, weather news right

now. Hurricane and storm surge watches have just been issued as two major storms barrel toward the Gulf Coast.

Remember, 15 years ago, this week Katrina hit New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

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[18:52:55]

BLITZER: Hurricane and storm surge watches have just been issued for parts of the Gulf Coast as a pair of tropical storms are set to deliver an unprecedented back-to-back blow to the region.

Our meteorologist Tom Sater is tracking both storms for us.

So, first of all, Tom, what's the latest forecast? Where will we see the worst of this?

TOM SATER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, it looks like tomorrow night will be landfall or, excuse me, Wednesday night and that's for Laura. They're both tropical storms right now, but if I back up a bit, wolf, yesterday, Marco, a category 1 hurricane, was expected to be making landfall as a category 1 hurricane. Right now even as we speak, dry air started to get into Marco and they hate dry air. It erodes them.

And it didn't even make it to a category 1 status overnight. I mean, after midnight, it was a tropical storm, lessens all of the impact. Laura, however, when it moves to where Marco is, those winds will not be found. So, shear is not in the game, just the opposite. It's going to really feed on these warm waters.

The point now for Marco, the tropical storm, mouth of the Mississippi, that shear has blown all of the rainfall into areas of Florida and Alabama. In a couple hours, Laura will leave the coast of Cuba with standing all of the high terrain. It didn't even care, waved its hand and it is moving into these warm waters and the upper level support is going to help to really significantly increase it in strength.

Here are the watches right now. Hurricane watch in pink and, of course, we've got our tropical storm watch. Galveston, you are in a tropical storm watch. Houston, too. Do not let your guard down. Any deviation in this path to the South is going to be a major impact for you, because not only are we expecting a strong category 2 hurricane, easily we could see this reach a major hurricane status, that could be a category 3 in the same location.

So, a lot of rainfall in the same location, Wolf. You do not need it up in areas of Delmarva. But look at this, 7 to 11-foot surge from areas of Texas, across the state of Louisiana. A lot of rainfall with this as well, Wolf.

BLITZER: In California, meanwhile, wild fires, Tom, have scorched an area the size of New York City. Now bad weather could be making all of that much worse. [18:55:00]

So, what's in store for the firefighters in the days ahead?

SATER: I wish I had good news. I mean, take a look at this. We've got a 1.5 million acres scorched. That is more than we see in a typical year.

And we're not even at peak yet. That is September and October, 12,000 lightning strikes last week, three days mainly the activity and that is the same. This entire area in tan more thunderstorms but dry, not giving us the rain we need but getting the lightning and, of course, with only 10 percent containment, 13 and 22, they are strapped for resources, Wolf. It does not look good for them in the days ahead.

The smoke is just unbelievably moving across much of the upper U.S.

BLITZER: Tom Sater, thank you very, very much.

This programming note for our viewers. Join me later tonight an hour from now 8:00 p.m. Eastern for CNN's coverage of the Republican National Convention.

We'll have much more of our special breaking news coverage. That's coming up next.

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