"THE 11th HOUR" WITH BRIAN WILLIAMS BEGINS NOW.
>>> AND GOOD EVENING ONCE AGAIN.
DAY 1,275 OF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION.
109 DAYS TO GO UNTIL OUR
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
AS WE COME ON THE AIR TONIGHT,
"THE WASHINGTON POST" IS ON THE
BOARD WITH A NEW STORY, A REPORT
OUT THIS EVENING THAT OFFERS A
VERY TELLING PORTRAIT OF THIS
PRESIDENT EXACTLY DURING THESE
UNPRECEDENTED TIMES, AND WE
QUOTE.
TRUMP IN RECENT WEEKS, "THE
POST" REPORTS, HAS BEEN
COMMITTING LESS OF HIS TIME AND
ENERGY TO MANAGING THE PANDEMIC
ACCORDING TO ADVISERS.
ONE OF THESE ADVISERS SAID THE
PRESIDENT, QUOTE, IS NOT REALLY
WORKING THIS ANYMORE.
HE DOESN’T WANT TO BE DISTRACTED
BY IT.
THIS COMES AS WE ENTER YET
ANOTHER JULY WEEKEND ONCE AGAIN
IN SAD RECORD TERRITORY.
THAT’S BECAUSE WE HAVE JUST
RECORDED 75,820 NEW CASES OF
CORONAVIRUS IN OUR COUNTRY IN A
SINGLE DAY, AND THAT’S A
SINGLE-DAY RECORD FOR THE SECOND
DAY IN A ROW.
THE CURVE SHOWING THE DAILY
CASELOAD KEEPS ON GOING UP.
WE’RE WELL PAST 3.6 MILLION NEW
INFECTIONS NOW WITH NEARLY
140,000 DEATHS.
TONIGHT DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, WHO
THE WHITE HOUSE HAS BEEN KEEPING
OFF OF TELEVISION, WAS ALLOWED
TO APPEAR ON THE PBS NEWS HOUR
WHERE HE PROMPTLY GAVE A BLUNT
ASSESSMENT OF WHAT WE NEED TO DO
RIGHT NOW TO STOP THIS SPREAD.
>> WHAT WE’VE GOT TO DO IS
RESET.
YOU MAY NEED TO PULL BACK A BIT
ON A PHASE.
YOU DON’T NECESSARILY NEED TO
LOCK DOWN, BUT YOU’VE GOT TO DO
THREE OR FOUR OR FIVE THINGS
THAT ARE ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL,
JUDY, BECAUSE WE KNOW THEY WORK.
AND THAT IS UNIVERSAL WEARING OF
MASKS.
STAY AWAY FROM CROWDS.
CLOSE THE BARS.
MY MAIN CONCERN RIGHT NOW IS I
WANT TO GET THAT CURVE DOWN TO A
REALLY LOW LEVEL.
IF WE GO INTO THE LATE FALL AND
WINTER AT THAT BASELINE LEVEL,
AS CASES EMERGE, IT WILL BE
INFINITELY EASIER TO CONTAIN
THEM THAN TRYING TO CHASE THEM
IN A MITIGATION.
>> TONY FAUCI TALKING TO JUDY
WOODRUFF TONIGHT ON PBS.
YOU MAY RECALL LATE LAST MONTH,
FAUCI TOLD CONGRESS WE COULD SEE
AS MANY AS 100,000 CASES A DAY.
WE ARE INDEED GETTING CLOSER TO
THAT NUMBER EVERY DAY.
FLORIDA REMAINS THE NATION’S
EPICENTER.
MORE THAN 11,400 NEW CASES
REPORTED JUST TODAY.
MIAMI BEACH HAS NOW IMPOSED AN
8:00 P.M. CURFEW.
IT’S A START.
BROWARD COUNTY HAS FOLLOWED SUIT
WHILE ALSO CLOSING BARS,
ORDERING MASKS TO BE WORN IN
CERTAIN AREAS, LIMITING SOCIAL
GATHERINGS AGAIN IN CERTAIN
AREAS.
MORE THAN 10,000 NEW INFECTIONS
WERE REPORTED TODAY IN TEXAS.
NOW OFFICIALS ARE STRUGGLING
WITH THE GRIM TASK OF DEALING
WITH THE GROWING NUMBER OF
BODIES.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TODAY
SENDING BODY BAGS AND 14
ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR TRUCKS.
ALL THIS WEEK THE PRESIDENT HAS
LARGELY AVOIDED THE TOPIC OF THE
SURGE IN COVID-19 CASES.
HE CONTINUES TO FOCUS ON HIS
PUSH TO REOPEN THE NATION’S
ECONOMY.
WE JUST HEARD DR. FAUCI
RECOMMEND MASKS TO AVOID ANOTHER
SHUTDOWN.
THE CDC HAS MADE THE SAME
RECOMMENDATION.
THE PRESIDENT HAS NOW GIVEN FOX
NEWS HIS OPINION.
>> I DON’T AGREE WITH THE
STATEMENT THAT IF ANYBODY WEAR A
MASK, EVERYTHING DISAPPEARS.
HEY, DR. FAUCI SAID DON’T WEAR A
MASK.
OUR SURGEON GENERAL, TERRIFIC
GUY, SAID DON’T WEAR A MASK.
EVERYBODY WAS SAYING DON’T WEAR
A MASK.
ALL OF A SUD ENEVERYBODY’S GOT
TO WEAR A MASK AND AS YOU KNOW,
MASKS CAUSE PROBLEMS TOO.
WITH THAT SAID, I’M A BELIEVER
IN MASKS BECAUSE I THINK MASKS
ARE GOOD.
>> SO WHILE THERE WON’T BE
ANYTHING CLOSE TO A NATIONAL
MASK MANDATE, YOU MAY RECALL
TRUMP DID WEAR ONE LAST SATURDAY
DURING A VISIT TO WALTER REED
HOSPITAL.
STILL MORE RETAILERS ARE JOINING
THE LIST OF MASK-REQUIRED STORES
INCLUDING LOWE’S AND HOME DEPOT.
THEY JOIN TARGET AND CVS AND
OTHERS.
WE ALSO HAVE AN UPDATED SNAPSHOT
OF HOW AMERICANS VIEW TRUMP’S
LEADERSHIP DURING THIS PUBLIC
HEALTH CRISIS.
ONLY 38% OF THOSE QUESTIONED IN
A NEW "WASHINGTON POST"/ABC NEWS
POLL SAY THEY APPROVE -- 60% NOW
SAY THEY DO NOT.
64% SAY THEY DON’T TRUST WHAT
TRUMP SAYS ABOUT THE OUTBREAK.
NBC NEWS REPORTING HIS TOP AIDES
ARE NOW DIVIDED ABOUT HOW THE
PRESIDENT SHOULD BE DEALING WITH
ALL THIS.
SOME ARE URGING HIM TO STAY ON
THE SIDELINES.
OTHERS WANT HIM TO BE MORE
VISIBLE AND OUTSPOKEN AS HE HAS
BEEN ABOUT REOPENING OUR
SCHOOLS.
TONIGHT "THE WASHINGTON POST"
REPORTS THE WHITE HOUSE IS
BLOCKING CDC DIRECTOR ROBERT
REDFIELD FROM TESTIFYING AT A
HOUSE HEARING NEXT WEEK ON THE
SUBJECT OF HOW SCHOOLS CAN
SAFELY REOPEN IN THE FALL.
THE CDC, AS YOU’LL RECALL, WAS
EXPECTED TO ISSUE THEIR GUIDANCE
THIS WEEK.