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CUOMO PRIME TIME

Trump: He And Fauci On "The Same Team" In Face Of Smears; Dr. Fauci: White House Attacks On Him "Bizarre," Reflect Poorly On Those Involved; California Announces Tighter Restrictions On Testing. Aired 9-10p ET

Aired July 15, 2020 - 21:00   ET

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


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ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: The news continues. Want to hand it over to Chris for CUOMO PRIME TIME. Chris?

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST, CUOMO PRIME TIME: All right, Coop, thank you very much.

I am Chris Cuomo and welcome to PRIME TIME.

Look, my argument is simple. Now is the time, if you want schools to open, in more places than not in this country, this is the moment. And we have to start by holding power to account. We've got to start with the man, who is in charge, and is charged here with holding us back.

Here is Trump, on the record, today.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We're all in the same team, including Dr. Fauci. I have a very good relationship with Dr. Fauci. And we're all in the same team.

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CUOMO: Good! Then listen to the Doctor's orders.

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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES, W.H. TASK FORCE MEMBER: Let's stop this nonsense, and figure out, how can we get our control over this now, and looking forward, how can we make sure, that next month, we don't have another example of California, Texas, Florida, and Arizona, because those were the hot zones now.

And I'm looking at the map, saying we got to make sure it doesn't happen in other states. So, rather than, you know, these games people are playing, let's focus on that.

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CUOMO: Now, that's what Trump should be saying. If he can't muster the message, then at least listen to it, and call off your dogs. Own the truth. Enough of this BS with your boy, Navarro. Did you hear the latest excuse?

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TRUMP: He made a statement representing himself. He shouldn't be doing that. No, I have a very good relationship with Anthony.

FAUCI: I can't explain Peter Navarro. He's in a world by himself. So, I don't even want to go there.

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CUOMO: No. Fauci doesn't have to go there. We need to go there. Why? It is time to stand and be counted. We've got big problems.

Power needs to own what they're doing and move to a better place. And by "Power," I mean Trump. Come on. You know he's pretending he didn't know what Navarro and the others were doing. You know how that place works.

It's all about one guy, as Trump told you yesterday, "A crowd of one." It's time for the President to man up. You know you had your boys doing your dirty work. It's always the same.

And, simple question, if you didn't know, if Navarro really was going rogue, then what are you going to do about it, Mr. "You're Fired"?

Where is the signature accountability for someone going behind your back, breaking your rules, and attacking your good friend who is on your team? What are you going to do? We're waiting.

Now, while we all hold our breaths for that action, sarcasm, Fauci is left using his breath to comprehend all the ugly coming his way.

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FAUCI: It is a bit bizarre. I don't really fully understand it.

You know, I think that what happened, with that list that came out, I think if you sit down, and talk to the people who are involved in that, they are really, I think, taken aback, by what a big mistake that was.

And I think that if you talk to reasonable people in the White House, they realize that was a major mistake on their part, because it doesn't do anything but reflect poorly on them.

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CUOMO: I think he's right. Let's look at the evidence of what's happened since.

The President is doing this pratfall. "I didn't know. I didn't know. These guys are on their own." Yes because that happens a lot around the President, people going out and going rogue, you see a lot of that.

The Vice President, tweeting out this picture of Fauci sitting next to him, earlier, calling it a productive meeting of the Coronavirus Task Force today. Hopefully, it was productive.

And hopefully, these thug tactics have backfired enough to make Trump & Co. think twice before shifting blame and playing a BS game in the middle of a pandemic. Our kids' normalcy is on the line. Getting back to work is on the line. So, let's get to where the energy should be.

You want to talk hoax? Fine! Your response is a hoax. Where is the plan? Where is the testing guidance? Everybody who got through this did it with central plans, OK?

Of course, the states have power. But they need your help. They keep asking. They're asking now for help with schools. Are you helping? Are we any closer to being able to domestically source PPE if cases come hard in the fall? Bring back manufacturing?

Let's start with this. The pandemic is in full effect. It's feasting on us, especially Red states, whose governors followed Trump's trail of denial, to their own detriment.

Now, why should you be hot? Why should you not believe? Well the record, but more importantly, this.

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You tell me how a President, in the middle of a pandemic, has got time for this bullshit? Are you kidding me? Hawking products - Goya? I don't care who it is. Resolute desk? This is what he's resolute about? Pandemic priorities?

His daughter, Ivanka, top White House Adviser, are you kidding me? Marketing for a brand, following calls for boycotts after Goya's CEO heaped praise on Trump last week.

On your dime, in the middle of a pandemic, they're selling beans, are you - are you kidding me? Seriously! Seriously!

This is not Left and Right. This is Reasonable, my brothers and sisters. The guy is sitting on the Resolute desk with a bunch of Goya products, proof positive of why we need many Faucis, but we only have one. Why?

The idea of him messing with Fauci, when he's selling magic beans is crazy. What reason? What good reason? What good reason? That's the question.

Now, you say, "None." OK. So then, what's the bad reason? Now things start to look more clear. "Shift the blame. Put stink on Fauci. Sell your beans."

Cut out the CDC from data information, what's the good reason? "Well, some hospitals weren't reporting." What does that have to do with the CDC being cut out? Make them report better. National Guard? "Give us the data in the Administration?" Why? I don't know the good

reason, but I know a bad one. Lie, deny, and defy. The President keeps telling you the problem is testing. You don't think that has anything to do with his desire for this information?

Wake up! This is what's making us sick. I do not want to see you people have to go through what I did. It never ends. It never ends, this thing, even a mild case.

And look, you're going to keep seeing the desperation because the President is desperate, not about the pandemic, about himself. This latest news, troubling, Trump demoting his Campaign Manager, Brad Parscale.

Now, on one layer, that's what happens. He throws everybody else under the bus, and that's his prerogative. It's his campaign.

On the other, it means he's going to be looking to get blame away from him. And that's where it gets dangerous for us. So keep an eye on that, hold him to account, make him do his damn job.

But now let's talk about what that job should look like, so we have a frame of reference for it. Two top former public health officials, former HHS Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, and former FDA Commissioner, Dr. Margaret Hamburg.

It's good to have you both. Sorry, you had to listen to that.

But, you know, sometimes, in this business, I see what's coming, so clearly, that literally you get desperate, about trying to get people to see, like you're waving your hands, "Here it comes! Stop it from coming!" And I try to do what I can.

First, Secretary Sebelius, HHS, very honorable agency, important work, the idea, though, of supplanting the CDC, and having hospitals directly convey information, either to HHS, or somewhere else, within the Administration, stinks to high heaven, to me.

To you, what is your take?

KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, FORMER HHS SECRETARY UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well Chris, thanks for having me, and it's great always to see my friend, and colleague, Dr. Hamburg.

I think it's a very bizarre decision. First of all, HHS is an umbrella agency. CDC is one of those agencies.

But CDC, in Atlanta, is the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, the public health backbone of the country. They collect the data. They write the guidance. They are the epidemiologists. They're out ahead of the virus. They're telling us how to track it.

I have no idea what database HHS is putting out, what they are collecting, who is collecting it, what means is, they're bringing data in, and then they're going to send it to Atlanta, which means it's going to be slower, and more inefficient, as far as I'm concerned. And more frightening is that, in my understanding, is whatever database they're going to use at HHS is not open to the public, unlike the CDC database.

So, we are taking a step away from the public health agency, and away from the public being able to see with transparency what's going on with hospitals. If it's too slow--

CUOMO: Right.

SEBELIUS: --if they're not getting the right data, then demand the right data.

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CUOMO: Right.

SEBELIUS: That is not rocket science.

CUOMO: Right.

SEBELIUS: They've been doing this now for six months.

CUOMO: You know, if you don't like the process, then attack the process, and create accountability. But shifting where it goes doesn't make sense.

SEBELIUS: Yes.

CUOMO: Dr. Hamburg, can you think of a good reason that they would be doing this? Maybe I'm missing something.

DR. MARGARET HAMBURG, FORMER FDA COMMISSIONER UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA: You know, I think it's a fundamental problem of not actually harnessing the capability and expertise that exists within an agency like the CDC. Maybe it's not working the way that it should be.

But, as you say, you address what's not working, you help to support it, you help to make sure that it is delivering, rather than moving it, creating a whole new system, which is going to have startup costs and inevitable problems.

It's very, very strange. CDC exists to perform certain critical functions. They do it routinely, and they do it in crises. Yet, in this particular catastrophic situation, CDC has been marginalized.

We're not hearing directly from so many of the experts who've dealt--

CUOMO: Right.

HAMBURG: --with these kinds of infectious disease problems. Nothing on this scale before, but still, that's where the expertise is. That's where we should go for these kinds of activities.

CUOMO: Do me a favor, Secretary, and Doctor and, obviously, Commissioner. Can you please stay with me for another block? I want to ask you about where we are with vaccines, and what we think we need to do, if school is a goal, just from your experience of procedure protocols.

But, as we go to break, just for the sake of argument, we have a lot of open-minded guests here. Let me have Dr. Hamburg back for a second.

I just want to ask you one quick question, as we go into break. The idea about Fauci--

HAMBURG: Sure.

CUOMO: --you've worked with him. You know his reputation.

HAMBURG: Yes.

CUOMO: And you know it firsthand.

The idea that Fauci is a bum who makes mistakes all the time, and always has, he makes so many mistakes, he's gotten things wrong, time and time again, have you ever heard that said about him? Did you ever witness, with any kind of doubt or misgivings, him in the line of duty?

HAMBURG: You know, this is remarkable, what's going on. It's so unfortunate. It's so reckless.

Tony is the kind of expert, a physician/scientist who understands public health, who has led this country and, frankly, the world through many other serious infectious disease problems.

Any leader would be lucky to have him, at their side, helping to shape a response, helping to guide and answer questions. And, you know, it is extraordinary, it's just so unfortunate.

He works night and day. And he's not doing it because he wants to be elected to something. He's not doing it for a huge paycheck. He's doing it because he cares, and he believes that by bringing scientific evidence, and expertise to bear, that he can make a real difference. And we need him now more than ever.

CUOMO: Secretary, I'll get your take on this, as well, when we come back from break. Thank you very much for being with me.

Who would imagine that a great scientist, like Fauci, during a pandemic, would have to rely more on his instincts of being from Brooklyn than what he learned as a scientist, just to make it through the Administration he's working with right now? Unimaginable!

But let's get back on the right track, and keep people focused on where we need to be. We'll be right back after this.

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CUOMO: OK. U.S. hospitalizations are going up with this new surge of cases. Forget about "Testing is the problem." That's just BS, all right?

Look, I don't want to use crude language. There's just no other way to get around it. The data shows it, all right? The Trump Administration doesn't want you to get it. That's why I say the response is what the hoax is.

And a new order, hospitals are told to bypass the CDC by sending all their patient data to HHS in Washington. I have a former Secretary of HHS with us. There is no good reason. HHS doesn't make this easier or better than having it go to the CDC.

The Chief of the America Public Health Association says this, the largest organization of public health officials in the world, by the way.

"The disruption that HHS is going to create, and confusion, simply telling people to do something different in the middle of a disaster, that does not work, it's like telling a soldier, in the middle of a battle, "We want you to fight differently than we trained you."

We're back now with former Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Dr. Margaret Hamburg, who was a FDA Commissioner.

Thank you both.

Secretary Sebelius, how worried are you about the level of response, right now, in the context of the ability to adjust in time to get our kids back in school, at least in most places?

SEBELIUS: Well Chris, I don't think there's a parent in this country, or a teacher, who isn't anxious to reconnect inside a classroom.

But parents, and teachers, and school personnel, and superintendents want the safety and security of all the individuals, who go into a school, to be paramount. That's step one.

And we have disease now rising, not flatline, not going down, but rising, in 35 states around the country. We have death rates that are ticking back up. We have hospitalizations that are, as you say, on the increase.

So, this virus is out of control in many parts of the country. We're running out of hospital beds. We don't have PPE. And we have a United States Senate who is stuck, who refuses to bring forward the bill that cities and states need.

We need extra help in schools, to put kids back, with more personnel, not less. We need more cleaning crews. We need more space. We need to look district-by-district.

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And we need some very clear guidance, and guidelines, about what happens, where the PPE will be, what the cleaning needs to be, how you get kids safely to school, if you can't put them on a school bus, how you feed kids in school. None of that is happening at a national level.

What we have is a President, and the Secretary of Education, shockingly, not talking about the welfare of the children, not talking about the safety of teachers, and staff, and parents, and siblings, but talking about threatening schools with withholding of funds, if they don't jam kids back in school.

CUOMO: Right.

SEBELIUS: I don't know any government in the country who would threaten parents and teachers with demanding that they go back in the middle of a pandemic, except Governor DeSantis, who is already seeing the most unbelievable virus counts and death counts that we've seen anywhere in the country.

CUOMO: And we keep reinforcing the idea that the Federal money they're talking about pulling goes to the neediest kids. And the food that they get at these schools--

SEBELIUS: Right.

CUOMO: --which is often the best chance at nutrition during the day. That's what that funding is about.

Commissioner, the idea of light at the end of the tunnel that isn't the train, vaccine, the Moderna vaccine trials showing promise, is that still a fair representation of the process to you?

HAMBURG: Yes. The results that came out today build on other indications that this kind of a vaccine strategy may prove to be effective, in terms of stimulating the kind of immune response that we need for protection.

We need to learn a lot more both about how well the vaccine works, and also, is it safe.

And is it safe for people that are younger and healthier, like those that have gotten the vaccine so far, but also in those elderly or more at-risk populations, who are going to be very important in terms of needing vaccine as we go forward.

But the Moderna vaccine that we've just been hearing about has moved forward at a record speed, and we need to continue to do the studies and get answers. But there are other vaccine candidates, and different types of vaccines, that are also in development.

So, there has been this huge mobilization of science, to try to address this problem. And, you know, really encouraging, working together of government, academia, and private sector, to try to find a vaccine that will prove safe and effective. But there are no promises.

CUOMO: Right.

HAMBURG: And we need to wait, we need to do the research.

And, in the meantime, we need to follow good public health practices, to try to reduce infections, break the chain of transmission, and try to address those who are sick and bring down the terrible rates of hospitalization and deaths that we're seeing now.

CUOMO: And, of course, once we get the vaccine, and it's safe, we have to get people to believe that, which means the messaging and the credibility is going to matter--

SEBELIUS: Right.

CUOMO: --because, as we see with the flu vaccine, so many who need to take it, don't.

Secretary Sebelius, Commissioner Hamburg, thank you very much for your perspective tonight. We will need more and more often, going forward so I thank you in advance. Things--

HAMBURG: Happy to be with you.

CUOMO: Thank you.

Let's start looking at the hotspots, OK? California. Why is it so bad in California? They just canceled the Rose Parade for 2021. It's the first time they did that since World War II. It's a New Year's Day tradition, as we all know.

So, we're lucky tonight to have California's Lieutenant - Lieutenant Governor. Now, what are her worries? Her State is in record territory, again, with COVID cases and deaths.

Tonight, another major City is shutting down a return to school next month. What's her take on why this happened, and what their chances are going forward? Next.

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CUOMO: California, very indicative, big State, had been very aggressive early on. It makes what's happening now even more troubling.

Hospitals are filling up alarmingly fast. Why do I tell you that? That's the metric. Don't get caught up in all this "Testing good, testing bad." Testing is. Period! It's not a good or bad thing. It's data. It's numbers.

The State is seeing record spikes in cases. It's not because they're testing more. It's because they have more cases and more sickness. San Francisco, Sacramento, now joining Los Angeles and San Diego in saying it's just not safe to open school buildings in the fall.

Let's bring in the Lieutenant Governor of California, Eleni Kounalakis.

Welcome back to PRIME TIME. It's always good to have another Italian.

LT. GOV. ELENI KOUNALAKIS, (D) CALIFORNIA: Oh, I'm a Greek. But we can keep Italian--

CUOMO: You think I don't know that?

KOUNALAKIS: --anyway.

CUOMO: You don't think I don't know that? I always try to claim, you know, whenever that somebody is on top, we try to claim them. And you're doing very well. And I appreciate you joining us in the midst of a pandemic.

The idea of California going this way was a shocker. You were aggressive early on, at the City and State level. They were on the same page. They were closing things down. Why is this happening in your State?

KOUNALAKIS: Well, Chris, it is a sobering moment to be sure. As you noted, we have had a spike in cases and a spike in the number of people in hospitals. But we knew that there would be some increase in the number of cases when we started to reopen.

And what the Governor said from the beginning is that we're going to treat it like a dimmer switch, that if we're reopening in a way that is increasing the numbers, beyond what is safe, we will dial back.

And so, this week, the Governor announced dialing back, close the bars, close dine-in activity in our restaurants.

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And, you know, we are now just going to be back in that place where we have to flatten the curve again. But I will say this. You know, we've built enormous capacity, as the first State, in the country, to issue the shutdown.

We built enormous capacity during the time that we had, including increasing the number of hospital beds, ventilators, PPE. And so, even though we are having this spike, we are far better able to handle it than we would have been several months ago.

CUOMO: I hear you, Governor, and it's good to hear that you have the capacity.

But let's just poke at the metaphor for a second. You said this is like a dimmer switch. To me, it looks much more like a circuit breaker being thrown here. You have an explosion in cases. Every metric is bad.

Of course, everybody, as they open up, you're going to have growth in cases. Absolutely true, I accept the premise, but not like this, necessarily. Is there anything that you guys are able to pinpoint that went wrong?

KOUNALAKIS: Well, again, let me just say, we were at about a 4.5 percent rate of positivity in the people we were testing about a month ago. It's gone up to about a 7.2 percent, 7.3 percent positivity rate. That is a spike.

But again, it is within our capability to handle it, which is why we have pulled back to the degree that we have. So--

CUOMO: But why cancel school?

KOUNALAKIS: Well, again, the school situation has been an ongoing conversation. And we've known, from the beginning of this, that it was going to be very, very hard to reopen schools.

That's why the Governor and the First Partner launched a program to get our kids ready for the long haul of distance learning, by closing that digital divide and getting kids technology that they'll need to be able to study at home. Very hopeful!

And, you know, we have 1,000 school districts in the State of California.

CUOMO: Right. Huge State!

KOUNALAKIS: Every one of them trying to figure it out.

So, we knew that this was going to be a challenge anyway, because from the beginning, Chris, we said we are only going to do it, if it can be done safely. And you know better than anyone else, this disease is very deadly and very contagious.

CUOMO: Listen, I totally get the concern.

And we get how big a deal schools is, because you pull back on schools, you can't open the economy. You can't get people working because the daycare needs are too severe. And so, we get it. We get the implications of it. How much of this had to do with a pullback in testing, because that is something that's very much under scrutiny for other states. Is there something to be learned in California?

KOUNALAKIS: So, California has had a major increase in the amount of testing that we're doing here. We're testing more than a 100,000 people every day.

CUOMO: Now. But had you pulled back too much--

KOUNALAKIS: Now, right now, there is--

CUOMO: --too soon, Guv?

KOUNALAKIS: I'm sorry. We haven't pulled back with testing at all. It's been a steady increase. We tested 108,000 people yesterday. So no, our testing is going strong.

What's happening is that because so many other states are building their testing capacity, we're starting to see shortages in some of the things that you need to complete the test. The reagents in order for people to get their - their test results back quickly. So, those test times are now taking a little bit longer to get the results.

But our testing has increased enormously. Our capacity to do contact tracing has increased enormously.

If you're looking for a culprit, what seems to have happened is that when we started to reopen, too many people heard that the coast is clear. And that is very unfortunate, because we have been attempting to get people back into some normal activity but to do it with masks, while hand-washing and social distancing.

And what we have found through our contact tracing is that too many people were getting together, primarily in their homes, even in their backyards.

CUOMO: Right.

KOUNALAKIS: But they were letting their guard down. And that seems to be really the primary culprit in the increase in the spread. So, we are really working hard to get that message out, of how important it is for people to take those personal precautions and take agency in order to prevent the spread.

CUOMO: Well look, I mean, there are a lot of different things that we have to look at in this country, right now, especially because you guys are all doing it on your own, basically. So you have like 50 different test cases going on.

But California is different. It's a country in its own right, just in terms of scale, and scope, and economic activity, when it's up and going. And we have been following the testing.

We know the efforts also of, you know, your resident, Sean Penn, and what he did with all those pop-up testing sites, working with the State. In fact, I introduced him to my brother in New York because it's such a good model.

So, we're watching the State. We wish you well going forward. And you always have a platform here to argue what's happening and why it needs to happen.

[21:35:00]

Lieutenant Governor, Eleni Kounalakis, of course, Greek, thank you for being on the show.

KOUNALAKIS: Thank you, Chris.

CUOMO: All right.

Now look, you know, you got to poke at these things. Why? Because everything just is going up so much, so dramatically, that you have to look at it, about what has to be done better, what has to be done differently, because you can't ride that seesaw right?

One of the things I worry about, as a COVID survivor, and look, I know I'm not supposed to say this, and it's not about having proof. It's that we don't have proof that I'm wrong about what I'm supposed to say - what I'm going to say right now.

I don't know that you can't get this again. I don't know that the antibodies - too many people are losing the antibodies. I think, all the time, that I'm going to get sick again. In fact, I know, every day, I haven't recovered yet. So, I think this is a spooky thing that we don't understand.

And one of my next guests tested positive twice. She's not even 30. She's also gotten negative test results as well. What does that tell us? That the testing is not that great! But what else does it tell us?

We've got Sanjay here to help us understand what this woman is going through, and what it means for you, next.

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CUOMO: Can you get sick twice? Come on. You know everybody's thinking it. And we're all worried about it. What's the chance of reinfection with Coronavirus? After several accounts of people testing positive more than once, is

that about the testing, or is it about the way the viral load works, or is it about actually getting sick more than once? Questions!

Now, Shelby Hedgecock is a 29-year-old Wellness Coach, OK? She tested positive twice.

Like me, she - and many others, by the way, OK, this is not about being exclusive, which is why I'm not storytelling it through myself. She is dealing with what a lot of people have, Coronavirus-linked symptoms months after testing positive.

Shelby is here to share her journey. And we have, of course, Chief Doctor, Sanjay Gupta.

Shelby, I have it right in terms of your experience, right?

SHELBY HEDGECOCK, TESTED POSITIVE TWICE FOR CORONAVIRUS: 100 percent. Today is actually Day 90 for me, Chris.

CUOMO: How do you feel?

HEDGECOCK: Not good. Today is actually not been the best day, to be honest. I'm having--

CUOMO: Why? Tell people.

HEDGECOCK: So, I'm having neurological issues, cognitive issues, trouble putting words together, which is so unlike me. My body hurts a lot. I can't work out, which I used to work out all the time, and any sort of overexertion just puts me into a relapse. The fatigue--

CUOMO: What does that mean, a relapse?

HEDGECOCK: Well, that's just what I kind of call it. But basically, it can put me in bed for two days, honestly.

CUOMO: Fever, or no?

HEDGECOCK: No fever.

CUOMO: Thank God.

HEDGECOCK: For me, at least. But there are some who do have fever.

You know, it's just all over the place. And I'm insanely tired. And the headaches, oh, my Gosh, the headaches are so bad. Every day! Every day! And so my neurologist has now put me on a daily medication for headaches. So, we'll see how that goes.

CUOMO: So Sanjay, when you hear Shelby, I know you've heard stuff like this.

Now Shelby, the reason we wanted so much, to bring her on the show is she's a Wellness Coach. So, she's created a little bit of community effect. She knows she's not the only one. She's trying to find different strategies that people are using to cope.

But let's start first with the uneven testing pattern, Sanjay, before we get to the symptoms that she's talking about.

This, for her, it's April 20th, positive, May 9th, negative, May 21st, negative, May 21st, positive, same day, May 27th, negative. Some are nasal, some are oral. But what is the legitimacy on the testing?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, first of all, just Shelby, I know we're going to talk about this, but I feel for you. I can hear it in your voice. And I really feel for you.

The testing can be confusing. I mean there's a couple things to keep in mind. First of all, you can get false negative tests with this, right? So, you actually have the virus, but you're told that you're negative.

CUOMO: Why?

GUPTA: Was that the situation, possibly on May 9th. Well, you know, what you're doing with this test, and you had the swab test, I take it, Shelby. With that, you basically are trying to find--

CUOMO: She had both. She had both.

GUPTA: --a little--

CUOMO: She had oral tests and nasal, Sanjay, just so you know.

GUPTA: Right.

HEDGECOCK: Yes.

CUOMO: On the 21st, she had a negative oral and a positive nasal.

GUPTA: But--

CUOMO: And then, she had a negative nasal a week later.

GUPTA: Right. Yes, so you can have a--

HEDGECOCK: Which - can I say something really quickly?

GUPTA: --you can have a false--

CUOMO: Go ahead, Shelby.

GUPTA: Yes.

HEDGECOCK: So, I have heard that the oral tests aren't that great. And if that's the case, basically the whole State of California was doing oral tests since the beginning. And if that's the case, then there's a lot of people that have been walking around with a false sense of security for a long time. And that's a problem.

CUOMO: Sanjay? GUPTA: Yes. I mean, some of these tests, I mean, it depends which specific testing mechanism you were using. It's more about the type of test.

The swab, whether it's the nose or the - or the mouth, you know, they can be pretty accurate, but it depends on what the type of testing system you're using. One of them, it has about a 15 percent to 20 percent false negative rate. So, that means you had the virus but you were told you were - you were negative.

The other issue with this particular test, think of it like this, what they're trying to find is a little piece of genetic material of the virus, OK? That's what they're really looking for.

You're not actually finding the virus itself. You're finding a little genetic material of the virus. They then take that from the swab, they'd use a reagent to remove the genetic material, then the amplify it, over and over again, to see if they can get to a detectable level.

Now, if they find it, and it comes back positive, you say "Well I have it. But, in fact, it might just be a little bit of the viral debris, a little bit of the genetic material."

So, the point is that you have to really correlate this with how someone's symptoms are, does it sort of make sense. Obviously, there can be people who are totally asymptomatic, and still be carrying this. But the testing is not perfect.

[21:45:00]

And I do worry, exactly, Shelby, what you're talking about, when you're dealing with a, you know, 15 percent, 20 percent false negative rate, you could have a lot of people out there, who are told they are negative, when in fact they are not.

CUOMO: Do you think we're getting sick again? Or do you think this is something about extended symptomology?

GUPTA: Well, so this is a good question. So, leaving aside testing for a second, someone tests negative, and then they test positive, later on, I think maybe the explanation I gave could possibly explain that.

We're not getting documented cases of reinfections as of yet, Chris. I mean, it's not to say they won't come. We're still early days. You may remember in South Korea, there were some anecdotal reports.

CUOMO: Right.

GUPTA: Turns out that it was probably more to do with what I just described. They were finding debris - finding debris of the virus as opposed to the virus itself.

We are seeing these reports now, coming out of the U.K., saying after 20 days to 30 days, people's antibody levels are going significantly down. So, that's a concern. But here's the thing. If that were the case, and people were losing

their immunity, I think now, six months into this, we would be seeing significant amounts of reinfections, and we really haven't. So you ask yourself, "Why is that? Antibodies go away. Why aren't people getting re-infected?"

It could have something to do with the fact that the body does develop a little bit of memory, in terms of how they make antibodies, so even though you don't have the antibodies, as soon as the body sees the virus, it makes antibodies very quickly in response to that. We don't know yet.

CUOMO: Right.

GUPTA: I mean, we are all learning. And I want to be very humble in how I'm describing this. But that is some of the most current thinking.

CUOMO: Well let's do this. Shelby, we don't forget on this show. Well, I forget because I got the COVID brain. But the team doesn't--

HEDGECOCK: Yes, me too!

CUOMO: --yes, it doesn't forget. So, Shelby, this is an ongoing conversation. I'm going to check in with you at least every week, and I'll put you in touch with me--

HEDGECOCK: OK.

CUOMO: --so you can let me know what you're learning about others, how you're feeling, what's working, what isn't. Frankly, I want to know just for selfish purposes, let alone for the edification of the journalism of it. This is ongoing because the pandemic is.

And Sanjay, as always, you are the best. Thank you for--

GUPTA: I'll come back too.

CUOMO: --helping us understand this. Oh, you're always welcome.

GUPTA: All right, you got it.

CUOMO: Especially with those flowing locks--

GUPTA: Thanks.

CUOMO: --you got working now you're even more attractive than ever.

GUPTA: Oh my God!

CUOMO: So, thank you. Thank you both.

GUPTA: I needed a haircut. I needed a haircut.

CUOMO: All right. Let's turn from the pandemic to politics.

Come on, you know he has it.

All right, so there are new poll numbers tonight. I remind you. What are polls? They're just a snapshot of a moment in time. But where we are right now connects dots with a trend line.

The President's in trouble. That's why he's changing his Campaign team. That's why he's trashing Fauci. He's desperate. Does he have reason to be?

The Wizard of Odds, next.

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CUOMO: Breaking Campaign news. The President just demoted his Campaign Manager. Why? Sources tell CNN Brad Parscale didn't know this was coming, was told by Jared Kushner today, not by the President. As for why? Yes, some palace intrigues.

But the poll numbers can't be ignored. That's why we bring in The Wizard of Odds, Harry Enten.

Harry, what do you see?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN POLITICS SENIOR WRITER & ANALYST: Well I see a good- looking man looking back at me.

But what I see in the numbers is take a look at this. There were two polls that came out today from the NBC News, Wall Street Journal, and Quinnipiac University. And what do we see in those polls? We see it going in the wrong direction for the President, right?

Back in June, both of those polls had single-digit leads for former - for former Vice President Joe Biden. Those leads have expanded out to double-digits. So, it's going in the wrong direction for President Trump.

And when the numbers are going in the wrong direction, you say "Adios Amigos, Goodbye" to your Campaign Manager.

CUOMO: The idea that this is as bad as it can get for Trump, and he's not in that bad of shape? ENTEN: I disagree with that entirely. And part of the reason why is, you know, why are the poll numbers going down? It's because of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Look at his approval rating this month versus last month. What do you see? You see his approval rating dropping into the 30s in both the NBC News, Wall Street Journal poll and the Quinnipiac University poll numbers. And that, to me, is a signal, right?

This is the most important issue of the Campaign. I spoke with you a few weeks ago, I said, this is the most important issue. And if it's the most important issue, and the President is in the 30s in there, there's no saying where the bottom is for this President.

CUOMO: Have you ever heard of a number, like the one I saw, I don't know which poll it was, that's why I have you. But that 50 percent of registered voters polled said they would not vote for Trump. Period!

ENTEN: Not for an incumbent President of the United States. I have never seen a poll number like that.

I mean, this is the worst polling an incumbent President has had since 1948 and Harry S. Truman, you know, that actually went on to win an election. So, you know, these are horrible numbers. Truman's the only one who's actually gone on to win.

Folks like Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, who were in similar polling positions, they went on and lost. These are very bad numbers for a President. And I'm just not sure he can really recover from them.

CUOMO: How big are the debates? Do you think they could be game- changers?

ENTEN: Probably not. I mean, to be perfectly honest with you, I'm not sure that they really will be. Debates generally don't really shift a lot of things.

And, you know, part of the reason I'm not sure that the debates will be game-changers is because this really is a referendum on the President's performance, on the Coronavirus pandemic.

And, right now, what we see is people think he's being actually unhelpful in terms of actually helping out folks on the Coronavirus--

CUOMO: That's because - that's because he is. He is being demonstrably--

ENTEN: Yes.

CUOMO: --unhelpful. He didn't even wear a mask today at the Atlanta International Airport, which the Mayor there says is a criminal offense. But - it's probably not criminal. It's probably illegal, but not criminal. Anyway!

Two other factors, real quick, you guys always talk about "The suburbs, the suburbs!" What do you see now about why they matter, and which way they're going?

ENTEN: I mean, look, the suburbs always matter. That's the swing area in an election, right? That is the area that tends to determine winners and losers, because it's in between the urban areas and the rural areas.

And, right now, what we're seeing, and across the country, as well as in a swing state like Pennsylvania, is that the President is getting crushed in those suburbs.

CUOMO: Put up Pennsylvania.

ENTEN: And that's--

CUOMO: So people can see.

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ENTEN: Right. I mean, look at this.

CUOMO: All right.

ENTEN: There was a poll that came out from Pennsylvania earlier today.

CUOMO: Right.

ENTEN: From Monmouth University. And what did we see in that poll? We saw that the President of the United States was trailing by 10 points in a Monmouth University poll.

And, you know, you compare that to where Hillary Clinton was polling four years ago, at this particular point, and she was only up by 2 points. And she was well below 50 percent. And Joe Biden is above 50 percent.

So that's to me, an indication that these numbers are coming down, from the national level, and getting into those swing states.

CUOMO: Harry Enten, I miss you. Thank you for coming on the show. Thank you for helping us where we are today.

ENTEN: I miss you too, buddy. But you're looking healthy as - as you possibly could be.

CUOMO: Make-up, a little bit of hairnet, and it works. Stay healthy brother. I'll see you soon.

We're coming right back.

ENTEN: You're welcome.

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CUOMO: Tonight's Ameri-CAN, 7-years-old Madison Wilson from California. So, she's watching a movie, and she says, "How come there're no people of color in here?"

Madison brought up the fact that she could never find a color that matched her skin tone when she drew. That's when an idea sparked. The third-grader asked her mom to help raise $500 to buy art supplies that have more options for people of color.

With the help of a GoFundMe page, guess how much? $24,000 in less than a month. She wants to give them to schools, so kids can colors themselves the way they want to be--