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CNN NEWSROOM
Biden: Social Media Sites "Killing People" With Vaccine Misinformation; Inside The Chaotic Last Days Of The Trump Presidency; Senior WH Officials Now Believe COVID Lab Leak Theory Is Equally as Credible As Theory It Originated Naturally; Israeli PM Bennett Less Optimistic Vaccines Alone Will Stop COVID; First Case Of COVID-19 Detected At Tokyo Olympic Village; Demonstrators Rally Outside White House, Chanting "Free Cuba"; Cuban Government Stages "Revolutionary Reaffirmation" Rally. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired July 17, 2021 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[16:00:41]
JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. The pandemic is once again taking a turn in the wrong direction. President Joe Biden knows it and he's placing the blame on social media.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They're killing people. I mean they're really, look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated. And that's -- and they're killing people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: It's an uphill battle to convince the unconvinced as vaccination rates fall and only about 80 -- 48 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated. Case numbers are on the rise in every single state. And hospitalizations are up in Los Angeles County, for example. Every COVID patient admitted to a Department of Health and -- Health Services hospital has one thing in common. They're not fully vaccinated.
It's evidence of what the data has been telling us all along. The one thing standing in between relative health and severe illness is the vaccine. And I want to go now to CNN's Joe Johns at the White House. Joe, the White House is really hammering social media companies right now over this vaccine information, or misinformation, I should say. It's stunning to watch.
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: That's for sure. You know, White House versus the media sounds like a pretty familiar scenario, doesn't it? So yes --
ACOSTA: Absolutely.
JOHNS: -- it's true. First, it was the Surgeon General of the United States, then it was the Press Secretary for the White House out on Thursday and Friday, then the President himself weighing in with that very blunt language about lies, killing people.
And all of that tells you the White House is very much concerned about the direction that the numbers are going on COVID right now. And they're very concerned about the fact that there are lies out there, misinformation, conspiracy theories, frankly, that Americans tend to buy into and they bought into for years and years.
So Facebook, for its part did decide to come out with a statement, essentially saying first that they really weren't going to weigh in, if you will, on what Joe Biden said, simply because they say as far as they're concerned, they put out a lot of facts. In fact, something like 2 billion people, they say, have seen authoritative information about COVID and about vaccines on their platform.
But it's pretty clear that the White House and Facebook seem to be not on the same page right now, if you will, because the White House says it's fine to put out positive information about COVID and vaccines, but what they're concerned about is decreasing the disinformation that's out there, because that's the kind of stuff that keeps people from getting vaccines.
So Jen Psaki and others have made several points among those things that they say they say there needs to be a some sort of more robust enforcement, if you will, on the issue of misinformation on the platforms. And they also say there needs to be an effort to get quality information out there. They say they want Facebook and other social media to fix their algorithms, so that that information doesn't make its way to the American public, at least quite as quickly. Back to you, Jim.
ACOSTA: All right, Joe Johns, thanks for that. And with me now, as Kara Swisher a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and host of Sway and pivot podcast. Nobody has more access to the biggest players in tech than she does. Kara, it is so great to have you with us. Thank you so much.
KARA SWISHER, CONTRIBUTING OPINION WRITER, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Thank you Jim.
ACOSTA: Yes, last hour. I don't know if you saw this, but I asked Dr. Anthony Fauci about this impact of vaccine misinformation. Let's listen to that. And let's talk about on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT: If you look at the extraordinary historic success in eradicating smallpox and eliminating polio from most of the world, and we're on the brink of eradicating polio.
If we had had the pushback for vaccines the way we're seeing on certain media, I don't think it would have been possible at all to not only eradicate smallpox, but we probably would still have smallpox and we probably would still have polio in this country if we had the kind of false information that's being spread. Now, if we had that back decades ago, I would be certain that we'd still have polio in this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[16:05:19]
ACOSTA: It sounds like a frustrated Dr. Fauci, Kara.
SWISHER: Yes.
ACOSTA: Let me just ask you, I mean, do you think based on what you heard there, I mean, Dr. Fauci saying polio would still be around, my goodness, if we had this kind of disinformation back then. Do you think Dr. Fauci is right? Do you think the President is right when he says, Facebook is killing people?
SWISHER: Well, you know, I just wrote a column about this. I think part of it sort of I've been writing about this issue for a long time, the dangers of this disinformation. And it isn't just about COVID, it's been about election lies, it's been about all kinds of things.
It's just one thing after the next on these platforms. And so I think this is just a difficult situation that the Biden administration finds itself in, and that it's trying to get people and convince people like doing things like Olivia Rodrigo, and things like that, to get people to take vaccinations.
And at the same time, there's a flood of misinformation on social media sites that people then reference. I actually did an interview about two weeks ago with Ron Klain, the Chief of Staff of the Biden administration, and he zeroed in on it very quickly.
It's that whenever they ask people why they're not taking the vaccine, it's always I saw it on Facebook that it does. And then there's a laundry list of things that the vaccine does. Some of them really outlandish like that Bill Gates is injecting metal into your body, and then it sticks to your neck. There's all kinds of crazy stuff on there.
And so it makes it really difficult to convince people when they're seeing this in -- on what is essentially the way people get news these days, or most people get news.
ACOSTA: I mean, here's the question I have, did the White House way too long to confront this?
SWISHER: You know, I think they were working with them in trying to get Facebook to give them more information about their algorithms and how much they're fighting misinformation. You know, the statement from Facebook was interesting, because of course, they say we put out lots of good information. But that doesn't mean they should have bad information on it. I'm not sure that statement was sort of strange to me, as -- or many statements from Facebook over the years.
ACOSTA: Yes. SWISHER: But I think one of the things that's difficult is that just because you are putting out good information, it doesn't mean that flood of misinformation doesn't overwhelm the good information. I think that's what's happening. And so I think they probably tried to work together.
But, you know, there's a big move against big tech right now in Washington and lots of other areas. And this idea of too much power and too much influence, which is what Dr. Fauci was talking about, I think is, it has been growing and they're seeing a lot of obstacles to getting people to do it. And this is a big one. It's not the only one.
There's people who, there's stuff on cable news that's really irresponsible. There's, you know, just general conspiracy theories among people, there's family members, and of course, there's the person themselves, who makes that very bad decision not to get a vaccine.
ACOSTA: Yes.
SWISHER: So there's a lot of blame to go around. But social media is certainly a big part of it. Just like with the election, with the attack on the Capitol, social media played a significant role.
ACOSTA: Well, let me ask you, Kara, let me ask you because Facebook responded, and I think you touched on this a little bit when they say in the statement, we will not be distracted by accusations which aren't supported by the facts. I mean, you know, Mark Zuckerberg, do you think this bothers him?
SWISHER: I thought that was a really arrogant statement. I really did. It's they -- I had the same interface. When I had an interview with him a couple years ago, he, you know, I don't know if you remember it. He said that a Holocaust deniers don't mean to lie, which I was like, that's sort of the definition of a holocaust denier, but OK.
ACOSTA: Right.
SWISHER: And then he changed his mind a couple years later, I mean, between those two years where he said he wasn't going to take these people up. And when he did look, think of the damage that was done. And so what's happening here is we're being the biggest media organization.
And that's really what it is, is putting out good information, absolutely no question. They're trying very hard. But at the same time, they almost can't stop the flood of information because of the way these systems have been designed.
And it's not just Facebook, by the way, there's stuff on Twitter, although they've done a better job. Theirs, it's a smaller platform, there's obviously YouTube, which has been, you know, if you remember, at the beginning of the pandemic, there was a movie called Plandemic that just went wild.
ACOSTA: Yes. SWISHER: But it's not just limited to COVID, its everything. It's the election lies, the idea about the big lie is going across, its QAnon --
ACOSTA: Oh, it's toxic. It's unbelievable.
SWISHER: Toxic.
ACOSTA: And it seems like the bad information outweighs the good by a large margin. I mean, and it's astronomical. The criticism though, and you know this, is that there's a slippery slope and the government's going to get involved in what people can read or view. How do we balance this do you think?
[16:10:01]
SWISHER: Well, I just tried to think of another, you know, in other ways. If "The New York Times" had a page like where I work and they have some pages that are like not factual and some that are run by the Russians, and maybe the Chinese and maybe other malevolent anti- vaxxers, or whatever, it just wouldn't -- if you translate it to other media, it doesn't work.
At the same time, you know, Facebook is trying to wrap itself in the First Amendment, but the fact of the matter is, they make these decisions all the time to take people down constantly. And so it's just a question of responsibility is the government cannot make them take these things down. That is absolutely true.
They should do it because --
ACOSTA: Can't they just hire more people to get this crap off their website? I mean, that's the question that I have is, you know, if my Aunt Edna can find this crap herself --
SWISHER: Yes.
ACOSTA: -- why can't people at Facebook find the crap and then send it to Joe down the hallway and he takes it down? That just seems like something they could do.
SWISHER: It's -- you -- the amount of video that is uploaded to YouTube every day is astronomical, that's -- the whole world is talking to each other. Can you imagine monitoring --
ACOSTA: Right.
SWISHER: -- all the phone calls all the time in real time? It's not easy. That said, this shouldn't have been built this way so that this is what happens. And then the second part is, maybe Facebook is too big. And there should be lots of players. And so it doesn't have this much impact, right?
That's really the point. What the government can do, which is doing right now with these antitrust stuff, and all these bills is these some of these companies are too big and too powerful. And they don't create enough innovation to create alternatives, whether it's in search or commerce or social media.
And that's the problem is Facebook is the only game in town. And let me just say, this was happening a long time ago in the past couple years in other countries, it's just now infected this country, but it's infectious. No doubt. That's really what the problem is. And it's really hard to get rid of if you want to use a COVID metaphor.
ACOSTA: Absolutely. And it seems fitting. All right, Kara Swisher, we're out of time for this segment, but we'll have you back, great speaking with you. Good to see you again and hope to talk to you soon.
SWISHER: Thanks a lot.
ACOSTA: Thanks so much Kara.
Coming up, an explosive new book reveals the fears of Donald Trump's inner circle about exactly what Trump would try to do to hold on to power. The author Michael Bender will join me live next. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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[16:16:27]
ACOSTA: Six months now since Donald Trump left the White House and the American people are only just beginning to learn how dangerous the former president was in his final days in office. An explosive new book claims, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo feared Trump might launch a war in a desperate attempt to stay in power.
And at the same time, Trump, quote, repeatedly tried to personally reach out to U.S. attorneys in states where he wanted voter fraud investigated. The stunning revelations from "Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Story -- The Inside Story of How Trump Lost" is written by White House Journal reporter, White House reporter Michael Bender. And I'm joined by the author now. Michael, great to see you, thanks so much for doing this.
And in your reporting shows just how desperate Donald Trump was to try to stay in power, to try to overturn the election. He had help, you know, coming from officials that were still working with people like Rudy Giuliani advisors on the outside. Did you uncover anything that just stands out to you more than anything else that gets to this desperation? And did any of it sound criminal to you? Do you think it's possible Trump committed some crimes here?
MICHAEL BENDER, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Well, I mean, it was shocking to me to learn that it -- we all know the story of how chaotic this White House has been.
ACOSTA: Right.
BENDER: And I expected to hear a lot of that when I was talking to the sources around Trump. But I was shocked to hear how concerned they were that he'd grown violent and become, you know, reckless and unhinged in this desperation to stay in the White House. And I mean, Jim, he was telling his top leaders that he wanted to shoot Americans. He was ordering people to shoot the protesters who were protesting civil rights abuses.
You mentioned Pompeo, he was afraid that Trump might lean into a war to stand, you know, just stay in the power. This is -- these were really shocking revelations to me as I was, you know, working on this book.
ACOSTA: Yes, it seemed Trump in every way possible, every way conceivable that he could think of, to stay in power. He was mentally going down those roads, and then barking orders at people around him to see if they would go along with him on it. You write that Trump's inner circle saw him as dangerous.
Was there a single moment that set off the alarm bells in this final year? I mean, you write about, you know, so many things. You know, Trump at one point, saying Hitler did a lot of good things to John Kelly and so on. I mean, it just boggles the mind.
BENDER: Yes, that's right. And it's the -- it's a thread throughout this book. And what's striking is that by the time we get to the elections, by the time the race is called, how many people just sort of faded away at that point. They had seen, they describe this behavior from Trump inside the Oval Office for months ahead of the election. And then after it's called, and he's refusing to concede, they decide that he just needs some space to come to his own, you know, find his own path to conceding.
And what happens is, that space creates an opening for Rudy Giuliani's of the world, for Sidney Powell's of the world to come in and tell Trump exactly what he wants. I mean, he's on the phone constantly with John Ratcliffe, the -- his top Director of National Intelligence, asking him to verify claims from Sidney Powell, that Venezuelans and Iranians and Russians are, have been colluding to, you know, find -- put ghosts in the machines to turn the elections for him.
And it's -- John Ratcliffe, who's a longtime, you know, Trump loyalist has a tone now there's -- that's not true. And we just talked about this. We just had this conversation last week. And it's not even in his agencies.
[16:20:09]
ACOSTA: Did people around Trump think he was nuts?
BENDER: I mean, they --
ACOSTA: I mean, I remember hearing that from time to time covering the White House. I mean, I reported on this, you know --
BENDER: Yes.
ACOSTA: -- senior White House officials would say he's insane, and that sort of thing.
BENDER: Well -- ACOSTA: Did you hear, I mean, just that he was just had lost it?
BENDER: There were discussions after January 6th particularly inside the cabinet about around the 25th Amendment. You know, I don't know how directly that that was spoken about. But there were enough where people around Mike Pence felt that it was their -- you know, that they were talking about Trump's stability at that point and whether he should be removed from office.
ACOSTA: And among other things that you reveal in the book, we can put this up on screen. I mentioned this a few moments ago that Trump praised Hitler, during a visit to Paris commemorating the World War I armistice. I mean that to me, is just, it's just insane. He called in the military to shoot protesters and crack their skulls during the Black Lives Matter protests. And after it was leaked that Trump was rushed to the White House bunker, he wanted the source to be executed for treason.
BENDER: That's right.
ACOSTA: Even going back to the campaign trail, I mean, Trump was fond of calling for violence. But this is -- this was different, I mean time and again --
BENDER: Yes.
ACOSTA: -- acting like a dictator.
BENDER: Yes, that's right. I mean, Trump had been promising this, not just all year, but for his entire term. And we covered 2016. This was the type of language he used on the campaign trail. And I go back and put that in the book.
ACOSTA: I'm so glad you did that. I was reading some of your book last night. And because that's what I say to people, I say --
BENDER: Yes.
ACOSTA: -- you know, we saw this in 2016. I'm sorry that, you know, some of the folks in the White House press corps or around the country didn't see it, but we saw it.
BENDER: Yes. Yes, that's right. Even --
ACOSTA: Yes.
BENDER: -- and even before then I mean, when he was -- everyone thought he was sort of teasing us in, you know, in the late 80s, when he kind of talked about running for president in 2000, in 2012. But that thread goes through then, too. I mean, what might be his first rally campaign rally in New Hampshire in '87, he was talking about, you know, praising the ayatollah, and, you know, strong men back then.
And, you know, obviously, the birtherism issues were, you know, raised in 2012. So this is, you know, we've seen this, you know, type of behavior from Trump and, you know, these promises from Trump for a long time.
ACOSTA: And Michael, the question, I really wanted to ask you about him, what was it like when you went down and spoke to him when you interviewed Donald Trump for this book, because he's out there putting out these statements. He's saying all kinds of things about you and Carol Leonnig and Phil Rucker and other folks were coming out with these books. And you know --
BENDER: Yes.
ACOSTA: -- he had to know when he sat down for these interviews that you guys weren't asking hard questions. You have been doing this for some time. As a matter of fact, it's on the back of the book that Trump says you're one of the tough ones, but such beautiful hair.
BENDER: Yes.
ACOSTA: The hair does look good, I will say. Take it from me. But what was that experience like --
BENDER: Yes.
ACOSTA: -- sitting down with Trump?
BENDER: Well, I interviewed Trump in the Oval Office and Trump Tower and Air Force One. So, you know, it's -- I've never kind of, I'm always surprised about how shocked I am coming out of these interviews. You mentioned that he is attacked this book, he's singled out me.
That's because the president, we talked about this. He knows how many people I've spoken to for this book. He knows I've talked to people who around him who don't normally talk to journalists, and I'm just kind of glad that he did -- if he disparaged my hair, I'd know things -- I know he would be had been really upset.
ACOSTA: Yes.
BENDER: There was there was a couple of moments though, he -- one thing I asked him about.
ACOSTA: So he knows this stuff is true.
BENDER: He knows what's in here. And he -- we have talked about it. And I've talked to his people about it. There's no surprises in here for this president, this former president. And, you know, I did ask him about Sidney Powell. Remember, Sidney Powell has said that her claims about election fraud were so outlandish that no, you know, thinking person could have actually believed her.
And I detail this scene in the interview in the book, and he kind of went through all the motions there, denied that she said it, suggested that it might be some sort of legal boilerplate, and then ended this, you know, long rant with me by saying to make making clear that she never actually represented him. So it was an interesting moment in the interview for sure. ACOSTA: You didn't mind her putting all those lies out there and spreading all this fog. But at the end of the day, he didn't want you to come away with the impression that she represented him?
BENDER: Well not after she's distancing herself from those claims, yes, absolutely.
ACOSTA: All right, Michael Bender, great book. It's --
BENDER: Thank you.
ACOSTA: "Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost." Mike Bender great job as always and excellent hair, I don't agree with Trump very often but the hair looks good. You did well there.
BENDER: Thank you, Jim.
ACOSTA: All right, and good luck with the book.
BENDER: Thank you.
ACOSTA: All right, good to see you.
[16:24:57]
Coming up, we are now learning that the tide may be shifting within the Biden administration about the possible origins of COVID-19. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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ACOSTA: It's a major shift toward a once dismiss theory. Senior White House officials now say the idea that coronavirus leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China is at least as credible as the possibility that had emerged naturally.
With the now with this new reporting is CNN senior Washington correspondent and anchor Pamela Brown, my anchor neighbor here on CNN NEWSROOM.
Pam, the intelligence community remains divided over whether the virus originated in the lab or whether it just came out of a market in China.
[16:30:03]
Dr. Anthony Fauci was on earlier today and was saying that he hasn't been convinced that it's any more likely that it came out of a lab.
But what are you hearing from officials? It sounds like they are giving this some credibility.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: They certainly are. As you know, there was this 90-day review looking at the COVID origins that President Biden ordered. And so, we checked in with our sources, officials in the
administration, to see what their thinking is. Have they collected new evidence and so forth?
And what we have learned is that, Jim, there are several senior- administration officials, including the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, who believed the theory that the coronavirus, accidentally, escaped from a lab in Wuhan is at least as credible as the possibility it emerged naturally from an animal, directly to a human.
This is according to multiple sources our team spoke with, involved with the COVID-origins review.
Now, to be clear, this does not mean that they believe the virus was engineered in lab or was intentionally released. That's an important distinction. But rather, it could have been studied in a lab and then escaped, accidentally.
But this is a dramatic shift, as you noted Jim, from a year ago, when Democrats publicly downplayed the so-called lab-leak theory, amid then-President Trump politicizing the virus.
And it is important to note that this is the view of some senior Biden-administration officials involved with the intelligence review.
There are many scientists, like Dr. Fauci, who study coronavirus, and who have investigated the origins of pandemics, that say the evidence strongly supports a natural origin for the virus and that it's unlikely scientists were studying the virus in a lab and it leaked out.
But from both the science and from the intelligence perspective, officials say they need more information from China, which has not been any more forthcoming during this review, according to the sources we spoke with.
The White House has begun making more public threats, as well, with Jake Sullivan using stronger language toward China to be more Cooperative.
And adding to this mounting pressure, on Thursday, the director- general of the World Health Organization said it had been premature to dismiss the possibility that a lab leak had spawned the pandemic and urged China to provide more information.
And, Jim, that is notable because, as you know, the WHO initially had the preliminary report saying it's highly unlikely it was leaked from a lab. Now they're saying it was premature to dismiss that possibility.
But as you know, China has pushed back strongly. China has denied that there was a lab leak.
And in fact, after that WHO report, they have said that investigators should look at other countries, including the U.S., to see whether COVID originated there.
ACOSTA: OK. Of course, the Chinese are saying that, at this point.
All right. Pamela Brown, thanks so much. Great reporting as always from everybody, including yourself, working on that.
BROWN: Thank you.
ACOSTA: Great, great story.
Pamela Brown, thank you.
Make sure to stick around. Pam's show will be live beginning at 6:00 p.m.
You've got an interesting guest this evening. Rachel Rosser (ph), an Arkansas woman, whose mother was unvaccinated and died from COVID. Rosser (ph) is urging people now to get vaccinated. Such an important topic.
Pam Brown, thank you so much.
(CROSSTALK)
ACOSTA: And let's discuss, now, with Dr. Paul Offit. He joins me now. He is the director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Paul, the -- the lab-leak theory is such a dramatic shift from when this was being written off as a conspiracy theory.
We did talk to Dr. Anthony Fauci in the last hour. And we should note, he still does not sound like he is sold on this.
He is saying that he thinks it's more likely that this was of -- something from sort of natural origin in China.
What do you think? Has your stance changed on this? What do you make of this latest reporting?
DR. PAUL OFFIT, DIRECTOR, VACCINE EDUCATION CENTER, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: I'm with Dr. Fauci. I think the chance that this was created by laboratory workers, that it was engineered, is zero.
There's this wonderful podcast called "This Week in Virology." And he has, over the last few weeks, had a series of virologists on who have analyzed this virus, as virologists do. And came to the conclusion the fact that this was engineered by people is zero.
This was engineered by Mother Nature. Only she could be this evil, actually, to come up with a virus this awful.
In terms of lab leak, you really have to screw up in a lab in order to have a virus leak. I mean, virologists work under flow hoods. The only time I can think of a lab leak occurring that was deadly was
the small-pox leak in Birmingham, England, in the late 1970s, where the live smallpox virus escaped from the lab and killed people. But that's it.
I mean, it's been, you know, 40-some years since something like that's happened. So, I think, neither, frankly, make any sense.
I think Dr. Fauci's right. We should focus on where the real story is, which is that this is now the third pandemic possible virus that has come out of -- out of that Southeast Asia area.
You can assume there's going to be a fourth.
And we need to understand exactly how this originated. But it originated in nature.
ACOSTA: And we heard an interesting comment from the Israeli prime minister, Naftali Bennett. He seems less optimistic about the power of vaccinations. Saying vaccines, alone, won't stop COVID, in reference to the Delta variant.
What do you think of that? Do you agree?
[16:34:59]
OFFIT: No. I mean, if you -- you -- you look what's happened in this country. First, we had that first variant, the variant that escaped from China, came, swept across the world and killed millions of people.
Then, you had the second variant, the Alpha variant.
Now, you have the Delta variant, which has, pretty much, taken over. It's about 50 percent of the isolated strains are Delta. In some areas, it's 80 percent.
But look what's happened in terms of hospitalizations and deaths. Despite the rise in the Delta variant, still 97 percent of people hospitalized or killed by this virus are unvaccinated.
Now, if the Delta variant were escaping essentially immunity induced by vaccination, then you should have seen a rise in people who are vaccinated.
But nonetheless, were still hospitalized and killed, and that hasn't happened.
However, the -- the vaccine doesn't work if you don't get it. And so, if we can get the people in this country who haven't gotten the vaccine to get it, we can control this virus.
We are just woeful at getting everybody who needs the vaccine to get it.
We have enough vaccine to vaccinate everybody over 12 years of age in this country and that's what should be happening.
ACOSTA: Incredible.
And speaking of that, kids under 12, still, aren't eligible for the vaccine.
Is it safe, do you think, for parents -- vaccinated parents to get back to work and be on crowded airplanes and go home to their young- unvaccinated kids?
I suppose, if the parents are vaccinated, they have protection. But what do you make of that -- that issue?
OFFIT: I think it depends on the community.
I mean, if -- if -- if you are in a relatively unvaccinated community, I think we still need to -- to assume that the virus is still circulating broadly and kids need to be protected.
You know, there's an old study of measles transmission between 1999 and 2000. It's going to sound counterintuitive, but what they found but if you think about it, it makes sense.
Obviously, you were least likely to get measles if you were vaccinated living in a highly-vaccinated community.
But you were actually more likely to get measles if you were vaccinated living in a highly unvaccinated community than if you were unvaccinated living in a highly vaccinated community.
The point being, if you're unvaccinated, living in a highly vaccinated community, the virus is much less likely to get to you.
So, if you are in a relatively unvaccinated community, I think you should be fearful, especially for children less than 12, who can't be vaccinated, yet.
ACOSTA: All right. Dr. Paul Offit, thank you so much. We appreciate that.
Hope folks will listen to your advice. Get vaccinated. Get protected. Protect your family. Protect your community.
Thanks, again, so much.
Coming up, a warning sign for the Tokyo Olympics. The first positive COVID case inside the athletes' village. A report from Tokyo is next.
You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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[16:42:01]
ACOSTA: The Tokyo Olympics gets underway in less than a week. But already, someone has tested positive for coronavirus at Tokyo's Olympic athletes' village.
It's the first COVID case there. And it comes amid concerns the games could become a super-spreader event.
CNN's Will Ripley is live for us, in Tokyo.
Will, great to see you.
This COVID case that was detected after all spectators have been banned from attending the games, is that going to affect things? What are you hearing?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, this is particularly concerning to have a positive case inside the athletes' village.
Because to just get inside the village, there's a series of COVID tests that are required, including at the airport.
And the number of cases that they're catching at the airport, considering that 15,000 people have now come in from all over the world -- this is including athletes, as well as journalists and officials.
They've caught 15 cases of COVID, at the airport. They are now saying 45 cases connected to the Olympics.
Because we, as media, and others who are arriving in Japan, are taking nearly-daily COVID tests for the first week. And then, regular COVID tests, thereafter.
The athletes are tested for COVID every single day.
The whole point is to try to keep the virus out of this very densely- packed area.
You are talking about 18,000 athletes and officials, who will be living in that Olympics village. Some of them sharing rooms and sharing common-dining areas.
So to have just one case is concerning because, as we've, seen time and time again, that's how clusters can begin if proper precautions are not taken.
Now, the athletes are being told they have to wear masks at all times. They can't high-five each other. They can't even cheer each other on.
A very spartan existence and certainly not the kind of jovial atmosphere that the Olympics are known for.
But, of course, that's there's a first-ever ban on spectators here in Tokyo. More than 97 percent of events will not allow spectators.
They are talking about doing things like piping in fake-crowd noise and having fans send in selfie videos. Maybe, even letting athletes video chat with their friends and
families who will be dialing in from various locations around the world.
But there are still athletes who have been dropping out of the competition saying that the prospect of playing in an empty venue where the handful of VIPs in attendance can almost hear their own echo when they applaud is just not something they are interested in.
That's why we are seeing basketball players and a lot of tennis players deciding they don't want to participate in these games.
And when they get their medals, Jim, they don't have somebody hand them a medal. Somebody's going to walk up with a tray and the athletes put the medal on themselves.
ACOSTA: Wow. Unbelievable. It's going to be a very different Olympics games.
All right, Will Ripley, thanks so much for that report.
Right now, outside the White House, Cuban-Americans gathering in support of the anti-government protests in Cuba. Many traveled to Washington by bus from south Florida.
Organizers are saying they are bringing their support, their show of support, to both the White House and the steps of the Cuban embassy.
We should note, right now, these are live pictures you are looking at outside the White House where these protests are taking place, at this very moment.
[16:45:00]
According to Human Rights Watch, hundreds of people have now been detained in Cuba since the massive anti-government protest there began last Sunday.
I should note that CNN has not been able to independently confirm that number, at this point.
But over at the White House, I can tell you, I saw, firsthand, those demonstrators have been carrying signs that say -- say (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE), talking about the need for both homeland and life there on the island.
And CNN's Patrick Oppmann is CNN's Havana-based correspondent. He joins us now.
Patrick, the government held its own rally today. The government does this in Cuba. I have seen this, myself, firsthand.
They -- they have any sense of protestors coming along, they will get out their own crowds to show support for the government.
What -- how did that go down today? PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN HAVANA CORRESPONDENT: Yes. They organized tens of
thousands of people just down the street from the U.S. embassy in Havana earlier this morning.
And, of course, you had Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Raul Castro, his first appearance in some time. He, of course, has retired, Jim. But showing his support for Cuba's new and embattled leadership.
And Miguel Diaz-Canel, Cuba's president, said very angrily that the criticism they have been receiving from all corners, really, is a result of a disinformation campaign.
That people shouldn't believe their eyes. That essentially, so many of these videos that we have seen showing police brutality are simply not true.
The problem with that is, of course, for those of us who covered the protests, we saw people being forcibly arrested, violently arrested simply for calling for liberty, or as you said (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE), homeland or life.
That kind of thing, peacefully protesting. Although, there were some violent protests later on.
Certainly, initially, the protests were very, very peaceful. People going out and simply saying they wanted liberty.
The government now taking back control of the streets -- Jim?
ACOSTA: All right. Patrick Oppmann, we know you will be staying on top of that.
And, you know, it would be nice if the Cubans would've let the -- the folks there protest on -- on behalf of basic things, like wanting food and medicine and so on. They are not even allowing protestors to do that.
Patrick Oppmann, thanks so much for that report.
And we'll be right back.
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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): An ancient city at the crossroads of history, Jerusalem hosts some of the most holy sites venerated by three faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, as well as the seat of the Israeli government.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Besides religious, national aspiration of two communities, the Israel community and the Palestinian community.
BLITZER: This center of power and prestige in the volatile Middle East is home to a diverse and resilient population, as I've seen over my many visits over the years, including after terrorist attacks, such as the bombing of a cafe in 2002.
(on camera): The people who live here refuse to let the terrorists win.
BLITZER (voice-over): The hallowed ground of the city has been the backdrop for violence and conflict endemic to the region. And the tensions between the Israelis and Palestinians sadly show little signs of abating.
(SIRENS)
(SHOUTING)
BLITZER: These stories and so many others have brought me to Jerusalem as a CNN reporter.
(on camera): I've been coming to this region for many years.
(voice-over): I've learned so much about the people who live there and even made deeply personal discoveries.
(on camera): It's part of my effort to find out more about my own personal roots.
BLITZER (voice-over): Jerusalem today extends far beyond its original boundaries. Walls rebuilt by the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century that now form what we call the Old City, a U.N.-designated world heritage site.
The Old City is divided into four quarters, Muslim, Christian, Jewish and Armenian.
The Temple Mount is where the Bible King Solomon built the first temple around 1,000 B.C. It was subsequently destroyed 400 years later by Babylonian invaders.
Also located on the Temple Mount, the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
Nearby is the Western Wall where Jews pray. It is also commonly visited by world leaders and dignitaries.
In the Christian quarters, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It holds the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead.
The Armenian quarter is one of the locations where, more than a century ago, thousands of Armenians from what is today modern-day Turkey fled to escape what President Biden this year recognized as a genocide.
Beyond the ancient walls is a city divided between east and west.
(GUNFIRE) BLITZER: East Jerusalem came under Israeli control after the Six Day War in 1967, though Israel's authority there is not internationally recognized and Palestinians make up a majority of the East Jerusalem residents.
The Palestinian Authority would like it to be its capital in a future state.
West Jerusalem has been under Israeli control since Israel gained independence in 1948. It hosts the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.
And it's where President Trump moved the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv in 2018, officially recognizing Jerusalem of the capital of Israel amid sharp Palestinian protests. President Biden has kept the U.S. embassy there.
[16:55:00]
West Jerusalem is also the location of the world-renowned Holocaust Memorial Museum, Yad Vashem.
ALEXANDER AVRAM, DIRECTOR, YAD VASHEM'S HALL OF NAMES: This is a place where we are trying to give back the victims their names instead of numbers.
BLITZER: I always knew my grandparents were killed during the Holocaust, but it was in Yad Vashem in 2014 where I learned my paternal grandparents died at Auschwitz.
AVRAM: It's important that the names are registered here for generations to come.
BLITZER: A museum of remembrance, and a lasting memorial in a city that has witnessed thousands of years of history.
Wolf Blitzer, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: And be sure to tune in. The all-new CNN original series, "JERUSALEM, CITY OF FAITH AND FURY," premieres tomorrow night at 10:00, only an CNN.
And we'll be right back.
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