tv Cuomo Prime Time CNN July 9, 2020 6:00pm-7:00pm PDT
6:00 pm
hello i'm chris cuomo. welcome to "primetime." today was another day this president failed to take charge of the pandemic and we have to track it every day because every day costs lives. just today, cases of sick americans in california, florida, texas, all broke their daily coronavirus death counts
6:01 pm
again. yet the biggest concern in the country right now is arizona. it is leading america in new cases. icu beds are running dangerously low there. this has been no secret yet there is no offer of help from the federal government. why not? more than two dozen other states are facing similar reopening resurgences and there is still no plan to help them. the only plan is the president's plan to spread false claims of victory. >> what we do have is perhaps the lowest, the lowest mortality rate, death rate anywhere in the world. we did it right. we shut it down. now it is time to get back to work. >> shut it down. how can anybody believe that brand of dishonesty? it is making us sick literally
6:02 pm
and figuratively. one question destroys the entire figment of his imagination. if the rise is just about us testing so much, why are hospitalizations spiking? debate over. but it's not about a debate. it's about a deception. the truth is, we are at great, great risk. it's not about what i think. this is coming from america's top expert. >> when you compare us to other countries, i don't think you can say we're doing great. i mean, we're just not. >> but for trump it's not about the truth, and it sure as heck is not about the health of you and your kids. it is and has always been about only his political health. and so he is doubling down on forcing things despite the risk of more cases.
6:03 pm
>> we have to get our schools open and stop this political nonsense. it's only political nonsense. it's politics. they don't want to open because they think it will help them on november 3rd. i think it's going to hurt them on november 3rd. open your schools. >> help them open the schools. what is your plan to help them? what will you do to help them? that's your job. do your job. are all the facts of cases and hospitalizations and deaths in states going backwards from following his open up ready or not dictate nonsense? is that all nonsense? is that politics? or is what he is doing politics? now, the good news, the cdc says it's not going to change its rules for reopening guidelines. in fact, experts were already questioning whether the current
6:04 pm
cdc guidelines are too lenient. the president is complaining about them because he wants no rules. just like his life. now the white house says the costs are too high to keep schools shut down. nobody wants them shut down. help figure out how to open them up. the cost to what is too high? your ability to tell people that you made things great when you're actively doing the opposite? how about the human cost to reopening them the wrong way? to my kids. to people's kids. to their lives? look, dr. fauci isn't wrong. we're all paying the price with this toxic partisanship. >> you have to make the assumption that if there wasn't such divisiveness we would have a more coordinated approach. >> now, look. fauci is in a tough spot. they all are. because to tell the truth is to lose your position to help the rest of us. that is the reality. every time he says something that isn't lock step with trump where does he go?
6:05 pm
gone. look, there is toxic partisanship. be honest. trump is motivating this. he did it with the reopening. he did it with the testing. he did it with the ppe. he is doing it with schools. we're likely to pay even more this fall if we don't do what we need to do right now. so what can we do? what should we do? let's turn to another top infectious disease expert, friend of show, dr. william schaffner. good to have you as always, doc. >> hi, chris. good to be with you. >> practical effect of the mixed messaging? the experts saying, go slow. wear the mask. socially distance. wash your hands. don't reopen if you're not right back up. if you're doing it wrong. and trump saying, that's all politics. open up ready or not. we got to get back. we're on top of it now. what's the net effect? >> well, the net effect is
6:06 pm
confusion of course and people in their confusion really don't know what to do. and we have this crazy quilt of recommendations and ordinances and other circumstances around the country so that it is so different. we really need national authority, good modeling from the top, and everybody kind of doing the same thing. there's too much virus out there. it is spreading in essentially every state. some more than others. but we haven't controlled this at all. the virus is still ahead of us and we're rushing to catch up. as you know, i think we squandered the time where we were locked up. we should have done much more and prepared everyone to the effect that the new normal will require all of us to participate in exactly as you said, wearing the mask, 6-foot distancing,
6:07 pm
going about things cautiously, not going into large groups. if we do the opposite, the virus will spread even further. >> i know you believe the president's proposition that the only reason we have more cases is we test so much more. you gave me the metric early on to cut through that bs. forget the cases from testing. if there are more people in the hospital you've got more sick people, period. that debate is over and in fact isn't really a debate. but when you look at what is happening now in the big states and in arizona, have you ever seen anything like this in this country where the federal government was as absent and during an emergency they declared it an emergency as they are in arizona and these other states? >> no, of course. i haven't seen anything like that. and the vacuum at the top is being felt down below as each of
6:08 pm
the states tries to fashion its own recommendations and its own approach to try to do things rather than working together. you know, i talked about orchestras with all their different instruments. if they are all playing separately you get dissonance. if you have a leading conductor then you get good music. what we need is a coordinated, national plan. i don't think it is going to happen frankly. >> me either. >> i think we are all muddling through, struggling each in our own way. >> that is why i call it out every day because i think it would fundamentally change our fate and the only reason not to do it is bad reason. you came up with the music metaphor. i added captain cacopheny to it. it resonated all over the country, doctor. i got to thank you for that. let me ask you something else. one more reason to stop the spread is not only do you not
6:09 pm
want to get sick, not only can it stink when you're sick, god forbid can it be worse and you go to the hospital or maybe even die, but even if you're one of the lucky ones and you make it through after being sick, dr. fauci started talking today about what he is calling long term fatigue syndrome. more and more mounting anecdotes of i've got brain fog. it's not going away. i have malaise. i can't sleep. i'm always tired. there are these common combinations. are you seeing this as well and how serious is it in your opinion? >> we're just starting to define these problems. and it's clear that there are long-term effects. just as you described. some people who have had serious lung disease are left with some scarring in the lungs from which they will never recover. the acute problem is bad enough but the long term effects we also have to contend with.
6:10 pm
there are people who were kind of on the edge of frailty, particularly older people, may never come back to the same vigor, the same level of day-to-day competence that they had before they got covid. and they will start the slide into disability. so all of those things we have yet to define but we know they're happening because we're seeing it around us. >> the key is the we. socially distance. wash your hands. wear a mask. the power is within us to make the change even if we're not getting help from above on the federal government. dr. william schaffner, we can always count on you. be well. >> yourself, too. bye-bye. >> so joe biden says he has a plan to make things better. he'd be doing things differently right now if he were president. we have someone who could be in the running to go on that biden ticket here to comment on the way forward. his new economic plan and the state of the crisis that is upon us.
6:11 pm
you see her there. senator elizabeth warren, next. t-mobile and sprint have merged. and t-mobile has a bigger and better network than ever before... with more towers, more engineers, and more coverage. welcome to t-mobile. america's largest 5g network. extra cheese, extra pepperoni right to the edge and the biggest slices in papa john's history. but it's bigger than pizza because $1 from each sale is donated to support communities.
6:12 pm
6:13 pm
6:14 pm
6:15 pm
the plan focuses on sectors like clean energy, infrastructure, and health care. it echoes proposals put forward by former contenders like senator elizabeth warren. what is the senator from massachusetts who has just joined teams with biden think of the plan the senator presents us with now? it is good to see you looking well. the best to you and your family during this time. >> thank you very much. i am just so glad to be here and so glad to see what it is that bide enrolled out today. it's really terrific. here's how i see what is going on right now. donald trump is going to spend this election trying to fool people into thinking that the economy isn't collapsing around us because of his failure to lead during this public health crisis but it is. joe biden wants to build the economy back better than before. instead of just patching over the cracks, he wants to make
6:16 pm
this economy work for the whole country. he has a real plan to take it forward. one of best parts is exactly where you started, chris. he wants to use the power of government procurement, the fact that the government buys so much stuff from steel that goes into battle ships all the way to toilet paper that goes into federal office buildings and to say he is going to use that power affirmatively, use it to help build a greener economy and green jobs. he is going to use it in order to restore manufacturing here in the united states, buy american. he is going to use it to strengthen unions and he is going to make a $300 billion investment in innovation here in america. so it is about jobs right now and it's about jobs for decades to come. >> it is reminiscent of what you were putting out on a smaller scale. did you help the team with this?
6:17 pm
>> look, i'm glad to talk to anyone about it and biden's team is a smart economic team. we've had a lot of back and forth. but understand. these are the plans that vice president has embraced because it is his vision. he doesn't just want to build the old economy. he wants to build the next economy. that is why his core phrase here is build it back better. build back better. he wants to do this for communities of color, for women, for small businesses, to make sure that it is an economy that works not just on the two coasts but an economy that works all across the country. it is a bold vision. >> how sensitive is the plan -- plans are insensitive. how sensitive will it be in terms of the cost being too much that the president's counter is going to be i didn't need to spend all this money to get us back. we were doing great before the pandemic that the democrats blew
6:18 pm
out of proportion. >> you know, there are kind of two parts. the first part is remind everyone trump just spent $1.5 billion in giveaways to billionaires, millionaires, and giant corporations. it is all there for the rich people. what did the republicans say? not a problem at all. the second part is to remember something like procurement. we are already spending that money. we're buying steel. we're buying toilet paper. the difference is that the vice president is saying you want to sell toilet paper to the united states, and frankly that is a big contract. you want to do that, you got to go green. you want to do that, you got to pay your workers a living wage. you want to do that you've got to give small businesses a chance. you want to do that you've got to hire american workers. we're going to do this right here in the united states. he's got the idea you build an
6:19 pm
economy from the grass roots up. >> i've argued on the show before when we were measuring the field that you were the best political athlete that the democrats had on this side of the ball to use that metaphor. do you think joe biden can pick an elizabeth warren or do you think he has to pick a woman and a woman of color? >> oh, look, the decision on vice president is up to joe biden and no matter who he chooses, i am a hundred percent behind the ticket and i'm going to work my heart out to get it done, to get joe biden into the white house, to get a democratic senate, and a democratic house, to help us in the state houses and the state legislatures. there is so much we need to do, and i am all in to help in any way i can. >> you would accept the role if you were asked. >> i am all in to do whatever i can to help. the decision is the vice president's. >> you a little worried about the decision from the perspective of winning the
6:20 pm
election? what is the fear in the democratic party that you can splinter yourselves. if joe biden were not to pick a woman, by all indications he says he would but if he picked a man or a woman who is not black do you think there is going to be unrest in the party and you won't get the turnout that you need to win? >> like i said, the decision is up to him. let's be clear what a big part of this election is about. it is donald trump's failures. donald trump is a failed president. before we hit the coronavirus crisis. and look what he's shown us in the last five months. this is a man just totally over matched who simply cannot manage. and we see people getting sick and dying every single day because he is so incompetent. here is the thing. he is not just incompetent. he actually seems to have no
6:21 pm
human empathy. he has given no indication that he cares about the tens of thousands of people across this country that have died. he has no plan. he has no plan for testing. he has no plan for our economy. he has nurses today. i spoke with nurses this morning who can't get personal, protective equipment. five months into this crisis? >> we hear it all the time. >> and we are still struggling for masks? >> we'll struggle again in the fall. >> i think that is exactly right. >> you talk about procurement. that would be a great place to start. let me get your legal acumen on the decisions today. look, you can see them different ways but there is going to be a delay no matter what. they're being played in the media at least with the taxes. the president can't block the taxes as if there is a win in that but you guys won't be able to get them during the duration of this campaign, either. so is it a win or a nothing?
6:22 pm
>> there is an old saying. justice delayed is justice denied. the idea you don't just need the right outcome, you need it now. that is the problem we've got around being able to see donald trump's taxes. so look. i think there is a good chance he'll be able to hold off, hold off, hold off, until after november 3rd on his taxes but that should be flashing loud and clear in big flashing neon lights that donald trump has a lot to hide. he is trying to cover up for his own corruption and for his corrupt government. and once again that is where you see the kind of comparison. joe biden is a man who put his taxes out there for everyone to see. he is also a man who wanted to have an inspector general oversee the work he did in the last bail out with the
6:23 pm
obama/biden administration. donald trump exactly the opposite direction. the contrasts in 2020 could not be clearer and that is why i am in the fight for joe biden all the way. >> thank you very much. the best of health to you and the family. >> thank you. same to you. >> all right. if the president thinks black lives matter is a symbol of hate, he is not going to like what just landed on his door step today. not his current home in washington. we'll show it to you but more importantly talk about his reaction, next. (vo) verizon knows how to build unlimited right. start with america's most awarded network. give people more plans to mix and match at a price built for everyone. with $700 off our best phones when you switch. because everyone deserves the best. this is unlimited built right.
6:24 pm
no no no no no, there's no space there! maybe over here? hot! hot! oven mitts! oven mitts! everything's stuck in the drawers! i'm sorry! oh, jeez. hi. kelly clarkson. try wayfair! oh, ok. it's going to help you, with all of... this! yeah, here you go. thank you! oh, i like that one! [ laugh ] that's a lot of storage! perfect. you're welcome! i love it. how did you do all this? wayfair! speaking of dinner, what're we eating, guys?
6:25 pm
my money should work as hard as i do. that's why i use my freedom unlimited card to buy heavier weights online. got it! go time! with freedom unlimited, you're always earning. i should've purchased lighter weights! treating cancer isn't just what we do, it's all we do. and now, we're able to treat more patients
6:26 pm
6:27 pm
6:28 pm
the city painted the large mural right in front of the trump organization's headquarters today led by mayor bill de blasio. it is the second time the words have appeared in large letters outside one of trump's current homes. you may recall d.c.'s mayor first had black lives matter painted across two blocks near the white house last month. the president has called the new york city project a symbol of hate, saying it would denigrate the luxury avenue. remember that the next time that he says he cares about the situation of black americans. you'll never hear him say there is systemic racism or at least you haven't but the idea that he sees black lives matter as opposition to the megaslogan what does that tell you? even suggested police officers could block the work. now, is that an unfathomable response? not from him in light of all we've seen -- mass protests,
6:29 pm
nationwide reckoning, cries of parents like this man on fifth avenue today who lost his son years ago in a police related shooting. >> they've lost their children at the hands of nypd or any police agency. this is for you. >> the pain and the hurt is what has to be heard. it's not about politics. it is not about us and them. just about us. and what we decide to be together. now in the covid front, we're in that battle together also and the battle is not going well. things were bad in hospitals in arizona when we last spoke with this icu nurse in april. remember her? she went out and stood up to protesters, silently. she started a fund to help native americans in arizona. remember? that's how we were introduced to her. but she wasn't just one moment. she is still there doing the
6:30 pm
6:34 pm
arizona is grieving. more than 2,000 coronavirus deaths. that milestone announced today. after reopening in mid may, not doing right things early, reopening too fast, responding too slow. now that is where they are. the governor announced today he is limiting indoor restaurant dining to 50% capacity. that's something.
6:35 pm
but it's not enough. arizona is running out of icu beds. several top mayors say they don't have enough tests. you saw how bad things were back in april when we spoke to an icu nurse who stood up to maskless protesters whining about staying home. things are far more dire now. her name is lauren leander and she is back with an update from the front lines. good to see you, nurse leander. >> hi, chris. how are you? >> i am doing better than i deserve. have you seen a palpable change recently in the state of play with cases, hospitalizations, and types of cases? >> we have. you know, after memorial day weekend we really felt things start to ramp up and now we're kind of at the point where we are stretched so thin we are at the point of compromising patient safety. you know, we're working with ventilators, with single digits of ventilators left. we have triple patient assignments now. we have three covid icus that
6:36 pm
are completely full. on top of that we have covid patients holding critical care patients holding in the e.r. and other units waiting for a bed. you know, things have definitely taken a bad turn since our state reopened here. >> ages of patients, types of cases, things that you have to deal with, anything new? >> you know, i think what's been new for us is to now see kind of the long term effects of this virus on the patients that came in. you know, i spoke about the patient zero back in april, the female patient who was my age that i performed cpr on and zipped into a body bag at the end of my shift. we now have entire units full of patients just like her. they are young and have no co-morbities and breaking a lot of the stereotypes we thought this virus would play by the rules. we are now seeing what this virus looks like after somebody has been fighting for their life for three months. it is something people need to know that these patients aren't getting better. the same patients i've spoken about are still in my icu and at
6:37 pm
the point now where the virus has turned their lungs to scar tissue essentially. they're now stuck on a breathing machine with a permanent breathing tube and a permanent feeding tube. they are bed bound. they're completely malnourished and, you know, at this point, chris, if you were to ask an icu nurse that is a fate worse than death and it is something we are tired of seeing. >> the idea of how it gets better. are you surprised that, you know, we saw in texas they're sending military personnel there. there are some ngo types giving personnel to some hospitals in arizona but there is no massive, federal response that might be expected. you know, military personnel and kind of finding different health care providers to help. are you surprised by that? are people talking about that in the ranks of the need for that? >> i am surprised. it is something i hope if we were in the shape where new york was and where new jersey is that we would get the same help that
6:38 pm
these other states are getting but i think it is also important that we know that we have power in our own hands. there is power in the people of arizona to mask up, stay home, and follow the protocols we saw work before. if we can get people back on the same page somehow, you know, this can still be an opportunity to save lives. we can still turn this thing around. >> how much more can you take in the hospitals in terms of capacity, in terms of shift flow? you know, what can you handle? >> this is it, chris. i don't really know what it is going to look like aside from this. we're at the point where we're deciding which patients are going to get certain equipment. we have single digit ventilators left. we are deciding which patients get continuous dialysis machines and which do not. a lot of these overflow units don't have the same safety capabilities as other fully functioning icus. i don't know what it looks like, chris, but it's not good. >> i've become a fan of yours as
6:39 pm
you know. we've stayed in touch on and off. i love what you did with your co-workers not just to stand up to protesters but to start a fund to help the native american communities who are hit harder than any state really, right, even by the numbers metrics they ranked in the top two or three if they were states. but what is it like for you and your colleagues? you gave us some pictures of what you look like during and after a shift that they could put up while air describing it but the heads, the hearts. we see your faces get banged up from the masks but what is going on inside with all these cases and your fears about more? >> you know, chris, i think what we've been feeling is we feel a little forgotten. i think after the state reopened, after memorial day weekend hit and people went back to normal, you know, we saw a very palpable shift in people's faces and people's, you know, belief about what's going on or how serious this really is. to feel forgotten at a time when our cases are the highest we've
6:40 pm
ever seen and our icus are literally overflowing, you know, it hurts. it hurts to feel forgotten by your own state and the people who were fighting for you when this thing, you know, first came about. and it also goes to show that i still haven't seen my mom. i still haven't seen my dad. a lot of us still have not lugged family members and now going on three months. >> the dedication is amazing. that's why we heroize the work you do as first responders. that is what you are in this situation. you will not be forgotten, lauren. i promise you that. we will be making the case for the state needing help. you're right. the power is partly or in large part in the hands of people who decide how to live their lives and make choices so they don't wind up leading you the wrong way but you will not be forgotten and the need will not be forgotten. i promise you that. not on this show. i am always a phone call away. you can always get a member of the team. tell us what is going on, what
6:41 pm
is needed, what is not happening. you will get the platform. i know what matters is the job to you though. i don't want to keep you too long. god bless, good luck, stay safe, and thank you. >> thank you, chris, for giving us a voice again. thank you. >> all right. lauren leander. i got to tell you. we always say there's always hope. she is why. the americans. that's why. we are her, too. we're not just these politicians and boobs and these fools making these horrible proclamations about this not being a problem. we're her, too. we're the doctors and the nurses and the health care workers and the communities that are coming together and helping. we are all those people, too. the high court today delivered a partial blow to a president who considers himself above the law. i don't see why people are calling it a win. i'll be honest with you. a new york da that the court found can pursue trump's taxes. the president is not immune from prosecution. okay? it's all about when they can do things to a president not whether they can. but trump can run out the clock
6:42 pm
until after the election when it comes to congress wanting his taxes. so how is the win on principle if practically he winds up not having to show them during the election anyway? a pulitzer prize winner argued biden shouldn't debate this president if the taxes don't see the light of day. now what? next. you can't predict the future. but a resilient business can be ready for it. a digital foundation from vmware helps you redefine what's possible... now. from the hospital shifting to remote patient care in just 48 hours... to the university moving hundreds of apps quickly to the cloud... or the city government going digital to keep critical services running. you are creating the future-- on the fly. and we are helping you do it. vmware. realize what's possible.
6:46 pm
three conservative supreme court justices two put there by trump himself ruled against the president today with a decision he cannot defy a subpoena demanding he reveal his tax returns. the president is not above the law. what does it mean for democrats? nothing immediately. this may be a win on principle but practically they are not going to get anything during this election. now what? trump is describing the decision as not fair and comparing it to,
6:47 pm
quote, the mueller witch hunt. is there any institution he won't attack if it is good for him to do so? no. so there is no surprise. what does this mean to the analysis of tom friedman, pulitzer prize winning "new york times" columnist author of the best selling book "thank you for being late" joins us to discuss the ruling and more. in context for you, tom, you said biden shouldn't debate the president if the taxes aren't on the table and if there isn't a fact checking team independently developed in real time so that truth is at a commodity and you can't hide things. now what? >> my point is that for many americans this will be the first and longest time they see joe biden during this campaign. these three debates. they're going to be huge. because of the coronavirus the vice president, you know, has to really limit his exposure. he has a lot riding on these debates.
6:48 pm
my point was simply that people make rules for debates all the time. what size the podium should be. who should be the questioners. why not make telling the truth a condition? it's not a bad idea. why not make equal transparency on revealing one's tax returns? biden disclosed his tax returns the last three years. why not trump? these are -- and for trump, in trump's case it is very important, because since he has been president we know people have been staying at his hotel in washington, spending lots of money entertaining there. in order to get close to the president. and most importantly we know that on multiple occasions when u.s. intelligence agencies have decried behavior of russian president vladimir putin trump every single time has sided, given the benefit of the doubt to putin and not our own intelligence agencies. the third thing we know, because his son donald trump jr. told us, is large amounts of russian money have gone into trump's real estate investments. so we need to see those tax
6:49 pm
returns. can you imagine, chris, if trump is re-elected and we have no clue of whether he is in debt to russians who are aligned with putin and he has four years unburdened by the need to get re-elected? this is not a small matter. and basically given what the court has decided just to finish this point this is actually the last chance for us to see these tax returns. because as a democratic congressman pointed out about that court ruling today it said trump cannot outrun the law but he can run out the clock. >> absolutely. that is exactly what he intoends do. so one substance point and one style point. the substance point is, why is it wrong to assume that if there were something of the nature that you describe in trump's taxes it would have come out in one of the investigations of him that have already happened? >> gosh, i have no idea. you know, because those investigations weren't specifically about, you know, his financial transactions
6:50 pm
particularly the breadth of his real estate holdings. so i don't think you can assume that at all. and i would ask the question in reverse, chris. if there is nothing in there, if it's all come out, why would you go all the way to the something every president since jimmy carter has shared with us except this one. >> that's right. i mean, you know, i think what the truth comes down to is that he doesn't like what's going to be in the taxes, but that doesn't mean they're going to be the kind office things that people suspect. the style point is that your analysis was interpreted on the right and certainly on the fringe right as you're afraid of biden debating this guy. you know that he's going to tear biden up. you want to keep biden in the basement. that's why you're putting conditions on it. you don't want a fair fight. >> well, i think the conditions of a fair fight is that fact checkers be present to make sure both sides are telling the truth, number one, and the conditions of a fair fight are that both have equally exposed
6:51 pm
their tax returns. i'm really intrigued by how urgently so many right-wing commentators came out against this idea. they really did not like this idea. so i think -- yes, i understand people are going to say biden's hiding, and biden probably isn't going to do this. he's happy to debate trump. go ahead. but think of that debate for a second, chris. trump's going to bring up hunter biden. trump's going to bring up the fact that biden's made a lot of money speaking, selling books since he's been in office and trump's going to be completely immune to counterpunching other than the question, why haven't you released your tax returns? and i say something else, chris. by getting this out now, by getting it on the table and having fact checkers, this debate is going to be critically important. millions of americans are unemployed and this coronavirus is accelerating a transformation in our economy in how we work and where we work, how we educate and where we educate, how we travel, that we
6:52 pm
absolutely need a serious discussion by both these men about how we are going to renew and re-energize this country at a time when, chris, there is going to be massive creative destruction coming down the road. and i'd like to focus on that, not on making this a mud slinging match where basically biden's going to have to spend half his time just fact checking trump. >> well, look, just the current state of play in this country is more than enough for anybody to take on and make sense of, let alone pitch the american people that they can do better. who would have ever imagined we'd be in the middle of a pandemic that our president would be denying the reality of. for starters. that he would see a movement like black lives matter for social justice as a political attack on him. this is a very interesting time, tom friedman, you're right about that. and who leads will be very, very important in terms of which direction we take. appreciate seeing you as well. good to see that you're healthy.
6:53 pm
god bless you and the family and be well. >> you too, chris. thanks so much. >> all right. so, the president tried to sell you on the idea of disinfectant as some kind of magic covid cure. then he said he was being sarcastic. well, now four ameri-can'ts just got charged with what the president was literally trying to sell. a bleach bust. what happened and why it matters. next.
6:57 pm
i just reminded you of when president trump floated the idea of injecting disinfectants to knock out coronavirus. and, you know, everybody was like, oh, he's just kidding, he's just being sarcastic. listen, he wasn't being sarcastic until he got caught saying something stupid, and the problem is when a president speaks, even trump, people listen. the proof, tonight's ameri-can'ts, okay?
6:58 pm
they have taken full advantage of that ridiculous and dangerous notion to cash in, and people were buying it and taking it with lethal results. the feds say a florida father and three sons tried to -- tried to pass off what they call a toxic bleach as a, quote, miracle mineral solution for coronavirus. they're now criminally charged, accused of selling the modern-day snake oil through their so-called religious organization. prosecutors say the family sold tens of thousands, tens of thousands of bottles of that crap with no government approval of any kind. the fda has gotten reports of life-threatening injuries and, yes, deaths from people taking this cocktail. all right? this isn't the family's first go around either at the at-home pharmacy game.
6:59 pm
they've claimed this miracle batch could cure alzheimer's, autism, hiv/aids and more. this is the kind of pernicious evil scam that can flourish when those in power feed the ignorance over the facts of science. when you make it about what you want people to believe instead of what they should know to be true, things get dangerous. we tell you don't be a sucker, but that message is hard to sell when it's set up against the most powerful man in the world. saying the opposite. and then they spin it and he says he was just sarcastic, and then you guys will say this in his defense. are you blame him for what these guys did? here's the answer. yes. and i'll tell you why. because it becomes saleable because of his suggestion. if the president doesn't tell you that this is something you can do, it's really less likely that you're going to think about drinking bleach, and i'm not talking about a cap full in a
7:00 pm
bathtub that's been a remedy for ages. this is about drinking this stuff, okay? if he doesn't say stupid things, if he he doesn't ignore the truth, if he doesn't avoid the reality, we're in a different place. thank you for watching. "cnn tonight" with d. lemon right now. >> that's what a swimming pool -- that's what chlorine is, right? put it in the water, basically -- anyway. talking about -- >> don't drink that either, by the way. >> no, no, no, no, no. talk about not knowing what he's talking about. i have the luxury of actually getting to, you know, when you're on watching everything and getting to see the latest of what the president is saying while you're on the air. talking about not knowing what he's talking about, when he talks about how mexico and other countries, how they're doing with the coronavirus, and the only reason that our numbers are so high is because we're testing people. well, the death numbers have nothing to do with testing. people are dying. we have more people dying than
129 Views
Uploaded by TV Archive on
![](http://athena.archive.org/0.gif?kind=track_js&track_js_case=control&cache_bust=1383826286)