Virus Cases Rise in 37 States as Americans Celebrate July 4th; As Much of the U.S. Scales Back Celebrations, Trump Holds Large Gathering Despite Rise in Virus Cases; Sparse Crowd on D.C. Mall Ahead of Tonight's Fireworks Show
ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: --right here on CNN. I want to bring our panel back with us now. We have Lieutenant General Mark Hertling as well as Dr. Patrice Harris, Doug Brinkley and Kate Andersen Brower. Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, let me just start with you. You were so valuable in walking us through the Golden Knights parachute team as they were coming down. And we know there are going to be a parade of many, many aircraft that will be flying over shortly from the World War II era, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and many others. What do you expect to see?</s>LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, first, Ana, I would like to have a shout out a little bit for the Army and the Marine Corps and the bands that are also there. I mean, this is a great number of people. You have the Golden Knights parachute team. They are very impressive. When you saw the photos on the White House lawn, you also saw cannon in the background. That's the - that's the artillery unit out of the third infantry from Fort Myer, Virginia. That's the old guard. So they will provide the cannon salute, the 21-gun salute. You also have bands from every services. Again, army, navy, air force, and marine, I'm sure, are all there. And these are some pretty quality folks. The thing I'd like to point out, though, that these parachutists out of the Golden Knights and also the artillery men and the old guard, most of them are also combat veterans. So these - while they're specialists in Washington, D.C. doing this performance, this show, they are also individuals who have probably seen action in either Afghanistan, Iraq, or other places. So you have to keep that in mind. When we're starting to see the flyovers, which will occur in a few minutes, you'll see mostly re-enactors, individuals who have taken aircraft from our past wars, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and they are actually going to be flying privately-owned aircraft that participated in those conflicts. These are clubs. They pay their own way. They love to do these kind of things on national holidays. But then, later on in the program, you're going to see active aircraft from the U.S. Air Force, the Marine Corps, from the Army, the helicopters, the airplanes, the Ospreys, the tilt-rotor marine aircraft. All of those things are coming at a time when, as Professor Brinkley said, President Trump is trying to showcase the military on a national holiday. You can say that's good or bad. I have my own view on that. I think the Fourth of July holiday, personally, should be a time for little kids to get candy off of fire trucks and have little hometown parades. But that's what the President has decided to do, and that's what we're seeing in this showcase in Washington,</s>D.C. CABRERA: He had his remarks last night in Mount Rushmore amidst a packed crowd there, hardly even mentioned the coronavirus. Today, here on the National Mall, much different image, where people are not close together, there is social distancing and really just aren't very many people, which makes you think that clearly Americans realize that this coronavirus pandemic is still happening. And in fact, we've been talking about the surge in cases all across the U.S., particularly in places like Texas and Florida and California and Arizona. We've heard of people lining up to get tested. We've heard of hospitalizations being up, and ICU beds running low in some places or running out in some places even. And now we're learning today that there are major labs experiencing a surge in demand for testing, and delays are happening for getting test results. How concerning is that to you, Dr. Harris?</s>DR. PATRICE HARRIS, FORMER PRESIDENT, AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION: Ana, today, I have spent in sober reflection of this holiday in the context of full history. And of course, the symbolism of today is important, but I can't think of a better way for us to put that symbolism and the importance of the symbolism of the holiday today into action by doing all that we can to limit the spread of COVID-19. As you mentioned, we are getting to the point where in certain parts of this country the medical system is near or about to be or there are worries that it will be overwhelmed. We see the number of cases increase, and not just because of testing. And so I think that we should think about the symbolism of today, but move forward in true American spirit, which is to do all that we can to wear a mask, to maintain our distance, to avoid crowds to limit the spread, so we can move forward in this country.</s>CABRERA: Kate, you spoke about the legacy that this President wants when you sat down with him for your book. He struggled recently to articulate what his potential second term would focus on. What does that signal to you?</s>KATE ANDERSEN BROWER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I mean, I asked him where he'd have his Presidential library, and he said he hadn't thought much about it. So I think h really lives moment-to-moment. I did ask him about the founding fathers during our interview and about Thomas Jefferson and John Adams particularly and this rivalry they had for many years and then their friendship and that they both died 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I asked Trump if he could see befriending on the other former presidents in that same way. And he said, maybe Bill Clinton, anything is possible. But I think that just goes to show that he does like to see himself in this long line. He's got "45" monogrammed on his shirt sleeves. I mean, he clearly loves the power of the Presidency. But to your question, I don't think that he has thought through much past the next 24 hours. I think it's so chaotic. Every day is different.</s>CABRERA: Doug, we are waiting to hear what the President says this evening, but his speech at Mount Rushmore last night was incredibly divisive. What does that tell you about his re-election strategy? Does this type of divisiveness tend to work for incumbent presidents seeking re-election?</s>DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: No, I don't think it's a very smart strategy. What he's trying to do, instead of uniting the country in the age of COVID-19 and make us one, he's playing division and chaos games. I thought the problem with the Mount Rushmore speech - the one good thing was, it wasn't great, but it was smaller than Tulsa. I mean, trying to hold a smaller event, but not having people wear masks was visible. But for some reason, President Trump is under this idea that if he just throws out names from the history, the Wright Brothers or Neil Armstrong or Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglas, they're all great and I'm great and I'm the protector of them, his view is that I'm protecting the famous people in the past that are the names everybody knows. Well, Barack Obama was President. And what Obama did, said, let's open up our history narrative. So Obama was able to save a site for Buffalo Soldiers, Charles Young in Ohio, African-Americans who fought in the military. And Obama was able to create sites for Harriet Tubman and for Native Americans down in Bears Ears, Utah that would be administered by native tribes. A president this late in the 21st century, 2020, you want to open the inclusion of American history and the women. This is the 100th anniversary of women getting the right to vote, but it was only white women, not African-Americans. But he had an opportunity, I think, to have a different tone. Instead, what he's doing is using the monuments, I'm a defender of Mount Rushmore, they're not going to rip it down, over my dead body, and kind of giving a - just a strange, let's say, view and interpretation of America's past, but it's just to get his base going. And I thought it was unfortunate to be doing these buildups on our 4th, the day of national unity. People did not die at D-day or (inaudible) saying I'm a Republican, I'm a Democrat, I'm Trumpian, I'm for Biden. We die as Americans, and he needed to unify us, and he's doing the opposite.</s>CABRERA: Everyone, please stay with me. I want to bring in a couple of our colleagues who will be joining us at the top of the hour for our special Fourth of July programming coverage. And so you can just stay right there tonight. We've got to cover for the stars and the music and the amazing patriotic show that's going to take place. But Dana Bash and Don Lemon are with me now. And guys, I want to talk about what's to be expected in your show in just a little bit. But first, Dana, let me just ask you a little bit more about what we've seen from the President this weekend on a day that is such an important day for all Americans and yet the President has still continued to really only speak to his base, not to all Americans this holiday weekend.</s>DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: --which has been the through line of his entire first term. And that is who he was when he rode down that escalator about five years ago and announced his campaign. And there was a question when he raised his hand and took the oath of office, whether or not he was going to change and whether he was going to use the capital that he genuinely had with his base and work across party lines. And for the most part, the answer has been no. And the fact that now, as he is on the precipice of his voters going to the polls and deciding whether or not he deserves a second term, he has made a decision that he is going to double, triple, quadruple down on that strategy. And you know what? For the most part, it's because that's who he is. He follows his gut. He follows what he thinks is the right thing to do. And right now, that is continuing to play hard to the base. The one thing I will say is that his emphasis on destroying monuments and taking down things that have a special place in American history, there is a hope in the Trump campaign that that does reach beyond the base and that reaches to some independent voters who think that this movement is going too far.</s>CABRERA: And Don, as we've been looking at images, they're on the National Mall. Crowds are rather sparse, at least at this point, but I know tonight you guys have a rocking program that we can expect, should be pretty extraordinary.</s>DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR, CNN TONIGHT: We're very happy about it. Listen, we've been focusing a lot on the President and how he's handling this coronavirus, this pandemic. And listen, that is important because he's not doing it very well. I think what is important right now is that we as Americans are coming together to celebrate the rich tapestry of America. We are all Americans right now. It's not Republicans, it's not Democrats. We're all Americans. We're celebrating the rich history and the rich diversity of the people who made the United States of America, and we're also celebrating our independence from England, which is important. And I think people right now need a little bit of something to celebrate. They need to smile. But they also need to, as we had been doing, socially - staying socially distant, they need to wear their masks. They need to follow the directions of people who told them to either socially distance or stay at home, like the Mayor of Washington, D.C. You can see there aren't a lot of people out on the mall. So I think people can have a good time. It's about the same crowd that was at the President's inauguration. So he should be happy about that. So I think people should follow the directions of their local people, their local leaders, and stay socially distant. And watch CNN. We have an amazing show coming up for you, for artists, musicians, who really were eager to put on these performances because they had been sitting at home, they haven't been able to perform live. So you're going to see it all on CNN tonight. And here's what you should do. What I used to do before I was working on Independence Day on the Fourth of July, I would watch the fireworks from my balcony and I'd have CNN or whoever had the fireworks on in the background. And I think that's what everyone should do. Stay socially distant, be safe, but have a great time tonight.</s>CABRERA: Dana, give us some of the lineup on what we can expect.</s>BASH: Yes. And Ana - well, it's a great lineup, but I will just add to what Don just said. I have lived here in D.C. my adult life - my whole adult life. I went to college here. And there is nothing like the fireworks here in D.C. And we're going to be able to show our viewers that tonight, here on CNN. I've seen it in person and you are going to see it from cameras that you wouldn't even expect. We've got cameras on the Potomac, we've got cameras across - across the Potomac in Arlington, on the top of the Washington monument. And you are just going to be able to sit back and enjoy it. And not just that, you're going to be able to enjoy the music that you sometimes go and listen to in person, here on CNN. We have the President's own United States Marine Band, the United States Navy Band, the Army Field Band, the New York Philharmonic, and it goes on and on and on. That's during the fireworks. Then we have amazing acts like Barry Manilow, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, we have Jewel, we have Billy Ray Cyrus. We have the O'Jays, and much, much more. It's really--</s>LEMON: O'Jays, the temptations. We have a special performance by Aretha Franklin.</s>BASH: There you go.</s>LEMON: We have - we've got--</s>BASH: And that's--</s>CABRERA: Something for all musical tastes.</s>LEMON: --we've got CeCe Winans. And look. Look. Manhattan! There's New York City, the greatest city on earth, behind us. And we're going to see the fireworks from there. And we're going to see fireworks above the Empire State building. It's going to be amazing. I'm telling you. You want to tune in for this. Grab a cocktail. Grab a drink. Grab your kids. Get in front of the TV and watch this. You will enjoy it. It's going to be amazing.</s>CABRERA: That's what I told the--</s>LEMON: And I get to work with the best - Dana Bash.</s>CABRERA: And I can't wait to tune in.</s>BASH: This is--</s>CABRERA: I told my husband - I said, I'm going to race home and I'm off-air, and you better have the TV ready, because I don't want to miss the fireworks.</s>BASH: I don't like to speak in hyperbole, I really don't, but this - I just celebrated my 27th year at CNN last week, and this is one of the things I am most excited to do.</s>LEMON: Oh, my God!</s>BASH: I mean, I've done some pretty cool things, but this is going to be really awesome, for so many reasons, not just the acts and the pomp and circumstance, but because I hope that we're going to provide some entertainment and some feel-good moments for people who are hopefully going to be watching at home safely.</s>CABRERA: Yes. It's been such a painful time for--</s>LEMON: Yes.</s>CABRERA: --many of us in this country. You're right.</s>BASH: Yes.</s>CABRERA: We all need a moment to breathe and appreciate where we are. Dana Bash, Don Lemon, I can't wait to see you both here in about 45 minutes--</s>BASH: Thanks, Ana.</s>CABRERA: --at the top of the hour.</s>LEMON: Thanks, Ana.</s>CABRERA: Thank you for joining me for just a moment there to share together. Again, it's the "Fourth of July in America" hosted by Don Lemon and Dana Bash. It starts at 8 o'clock Eastern here on CNN. Again, less than an hour from now. And another flyover in D.C. is just moments away. Stay right there.