School debate: President Trump pushes for in-person learning to resume

This is a rush transcript from "Special Report," July 7, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: You guys do a lot of bare elements. Thank you. Thank you, Dana.

Good evening. Welcome to Washington, I'm Bret Baier.

Breaking tonight, how to get students back to school safely amid the coronavirus pandemic? The president and first lady participating in what was billed as a national dialogue on the subject earlier today. Vice President Mike Pence was also there. I will speak exclusively with the president's point man on the coronavirus in just a few minutes.

We have Fox team coverage, Jonathan Serrie in Atlanta as operation warp speed is getting a big cash infusion in the search for a vaccine, but we begin with correspondent Kristin Fisher at the White House and the effort to get kids back to school on time and out of danger. Good evening, Kristin.

KRISTIN FISHER, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Bret. Today we saw an administration-wide push to get schools reopened this fall. They say for the good of students, parents, and the entire U.S. economy.

President Trump has been very clear where he stands on this issue but today he took a nap -- took it up a notch and explicitly said that he is going to be pressuring governors across the country to get on board.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They think it's going to be good for them politically, so they keep the schools close, no way. So we're very much going to put pressure on governors and everybody else to open the schools.

FISHER: President Trump is urging governors across the country to follow the lead of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis whose administration has just ordered that all schools reopen in August.

During a day-long panel discussion, administration officials from Doctor Deborah Birx to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos made the case that the risk of reopening outweighs the benefits of keeping children home.

DR. DEBORAH BIRX, CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE COORDINATOR, WHITE HOUSE: In the rush to just close things down, there was not -- everything was not completely considered in that moment about how we were going to protect our children.

BETSY DEVOS, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF EDUCATION: We can't overstate the importance of the need for schools to be open again and for students to have that opportunity to learn together in person.

FISHER: To help make their case, the administration is pointing to the American Academy of Pediatrics which strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school.

And in New York City, the vast majority of parents pulled in a survey agreed.

BILL DE BLASIO (D), MAYOR OF NEW YORK: 400,000 families responded, I've never heard anything like that and 75 percent of them want their kids back in school in September.

FISHER: But other parents are concerned about their children catching the coronavirus in school and spreading it to loved ones in the at-risk age group and some teachers are worried, too.

On the opposite end of the spectrum from what Florida is doing, Harvard University just announced that all classes will be online for the entire school year until the spring of 2021 and there are several hybrid options in between. So there is a huge range for educators and parents to consider as they brace for a possible second wave in the fall.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: We are still knee-deep in the first wave of this and I would say this would not be considered a wave, it was a surge or a resurgence of infections.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FISHER: And today, the World Health Organization announced that they believe that the coronavirus pandemic is accelerating. The same day that President Trump officially pulled out of the organization.

Joe Biden though, he is now promising to rejoin the WHO on day one in the White House if, of course, he wins, Bret.

BAIER: Kristin Fisher live on the North Lawn. Kristin, thank you.

The government is pouring another $1.6 billion to try to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus.

Also tonight, more than four dozen hospitals in Florida are reporting that their intensive care units have now reached capacity.

Correspondent Jonathan Serrie reports tonight from Atlanta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN SERRIE, FOX NEWS CHANNEL CORRESPONDENT: As new coronavirus cases surge across the south and west, nearly one in every 100 Floridians has now been infected.

Starting Wednesday, Miami-Dade County will suspend short-term vacation rentals and indoor dining at restaurants.

JOHNNY CARDONA, MENSWEAR STORE MANAGER: We might be getting lockdown for another three month. What's going to happen to this business owner? We don't know.

SERRIE: After meeting with health advisors, the mayor tweeted, we arrived at a compromise to keep gyms and fitness studios open. All doing activities inside must wear a mask or do strenuous training outside staying 10 feet apart without mask.

In hard-hit Texas, organizers of the state fair which drew more than 2-1/2 million visitors last year, announced they're canceling the event for the first time since World War II.

In New York, state health officials issued a report suggesting Governor Andrew Cuomo's controversial and now discontinued policy requiring nursing homes to accept COVID-19 patients discharged from hospitals was not a significant factor in spreading the virus. Instead, the primary sources were infected visitors and staffers, many with no symptoms.

DR. HOWARD ZUCKER, NEW YORK STATE HEALTH COMMISSIONER: The employee infections were related to the larger community spread and employee transmission has the strongest correlation to a nursing home fatalities. Admission policies were not a significant factor in nursing home fatalities.

SERRIE: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Defense announced a $1.6 billion agreement with pharmaceutical company Novavax to speed research and development of a potential COVID-19 vaccine under operation warp speed.

STANLEY ERCK, CEO, NOVAVAX: This whole issue is unprecedented, the speed, the scale that we have to get to, that's going to require a lot of more work and luck and success, but we're confident in our platform.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SERRIE: And Bret today, the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation expanded its forecast for COVID-19. It is now projecting more than 208,000 U.S. deaths by October 1st, that's up from its previous projection of 175,000, Bret.

BAIER: We've seen some back and forth with that organization before, we will track that. Jonathan, as always, thank you.

Breaking tonight, if you or more likely your children, enjoy using the TikTok app, you should be aware the U.S. government may ban it soon. There are increasing concerns over the social media outlet and its ties to the Chinese government and what's coming out of it.

State department correspondent Rich Edson shows us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICH EDSON, FOX NEWS CHANNEL STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: This is TikTok, a popular app where users can record, edit, and interact with short videos. 30 million Americans use it but the Trump administration is considering banning the Chinese-owned company in the United States over security concerns.

MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE: We're taking this very seriously, we're certainly looking at it.

EDSON: U.S. officials tell Fox News discussions around possibly banning TikTok are in the early stages. Saying the administration is prepared to counter any app that spies on Americans.

Chinese tech firm ByteDance which owns TikTok is denying the claims. The company says it stores American user's data in servers within the United States with a backup in Singapore that none of that information is subject to Chinese law and quote, TikTok is led by an American CEO. We have never provided user data to the Chinese government, nor would we do so if asked.

U.S. Officials say TikTok is among other Chinese-owned apps they're evaluating. For years, the administration has led an international campaign to convince countries to curtail or ban Chinese software and equipment, claiming they expose sensitive data to Chinese government.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

EDSON: FBI Director Christopher Wray says of the FBI's nearly 5,000 counterintelligence cases, nearly half are related to China and China is actively working to compromise American institutions and companies that are researching COVID-19, Bret.

BAIER: Rich Edson at the state department. Rich, thank you.

Let's talk about where things stand right now in the fight against the coronavirus and the challenges with China as well. We're joined by the man in charge of the Coronavirus Task Force, Vice President Mike Pence. Mr. Vice President, thanks for being here. MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you, Bret. BAIER: Why is it so important to open up schools this fall? PENCE: Well, we had a very important summit today, a good conference call with the nation's governor. And President Trump has made it clear, as we open up America again, we need to open up America's schools. And from early on in this pandemic, the CDC has been giving guidance on how we can safely mitigate and operate schools. New guidance was issued last week. But I must tell you that parents around America, teachers around America -- and we trust leaders all across this country -- are going to continue to work, continue to find ways to open our schools up again. The good news is, 47 states have already issued plans and guidance for doing just that. And we are going to continue to work very closely with them. We just think it is important to get America back to work, it is important to get our kids back to school, and all of that can be done as we continue to make sure that states that are seeing rising cases have the testing, the personal protective equipment, and have the medicines to be able to confront this pandemic, even as we open up America again. BAIER: The president said today, Mr. Vice President, that he was going to pressure the governors to open, if they didn't. I just want to ask you what that looks like. If the governors, as what happened with the lockdown, make their own individual decisions, based on what their state is doing or going through and what health experts are telling them, what does that pressure look like? How does it manifest? PENCE: Well, I think, today, the president brought together teachers, healthcare leaders. We all reflected on what I believe is the overwhelming opinion of the American people, that we have got to get our kids back to school. And so today was very much about the president doing like he is wont to do, is focusing on this important need. But I must tell you, whether it be the American Association of Pediatrics that put out a statement last week about the importance of classroom learning, the -- what we are hearing from educators and parents around America, that we can't let our kids fall behind academically. But, also, Bret, you know, you are a parent. You understand that it's far beyond academics, that millions of families rely on our local schools. Many -- many of our children that struggle with emotional challenges or disabilities, they receive those services at school. Add into that nutrition. Add into that other ways that we serve our kids. It's absolutely essential that we get back to school. And the president is going to continue to focus effort on that, but also work with our governors to see those plans implemented. The one point that we made today with governors on our conference call, Bret, was, as the CDC has issued renewed guidance last week on how we can safely operate our schools, we wanted to make it clear, we don't want the federal government to be the reason why you don't reopen your local school. BAIER: Yes. PENCE: We want to work with local officials, school officials, governors in states around the country to find a way to safely reopen our schools. BAIER: I think... PENCE: And we believe that we can do that for most of the country. BAIER: Mr. Vice President, I think there is unity that parents want their kids back to school. PENCE: Yes. BAIER: I do think that you hear that, no matter the ideology, the political ideology. But do you believe, as the president said today, that Democrats want to keep schools closed for political reasons? You talk to these governors, Democrats and Republicans. PENCE: Well, look, I -- let me leave the governors out of it for just a second to say they're -- when we hear some word about teachers unions beginning already to say that they're not going to be willing to come back in some jurisdictions around the country, look, we all ought to be working together on this. I mean, as I said at the top, to open up America, we have got to open up America's schools. It's absolutely essential. I didn't even mention the fact that the academic well-being, the health and well-being of our kids is of paramount importance. But let's remember working families. Let's remember single parents. I mean, for people to be able to go back to work full-time this fall, we have got to have these schools up and running and working. BAIER: Yes, I hear you. PENCE: And so, what -- the president made it clear today, shot across the bow, anybody that wants to play politics on this thing is on fair notice that we're not going to put up with it. And I really believe that the overwhelming majority of the American people, of families, of educators all know we can get back to school, we can get back to school safely, K-12, higher education. And our White House Coronavirus Task Force is going to continue to work very closely with Republican and Democrat governors to get that done. BAIER: Well, let's hope it happens. Today, the administration just pulled out of the World Health Organization. Not surprisingly, Joe Biden put out a tweet, saying he would join it, if he gets elected, on the first day. But your fellow Republican Lamar Alexander, chairman of the Senate Health Committee, put out this statement moments ago, saying, "I disagree with the president's decision. Certainly there needs to be a good, hard look at mistakes the World Health Organization might have made in connection with the coronavirus, but the time to do that is after the crisis has been dealt with, not in the middle of it. Withdrawing U.S. membership could, among other things, interfere with clinical trials that are essential to the development of vaccines, which citizens of the United States as well as others in the world need.' Is now the right time to be doing this move? PENCE: Well, it's absolutely the right time to notify Congress. With all due respect to Senator Alexander's view, the World Health Organization let the world down, and by -- by not informing the United States and the wider world of this pandemic as it began in China, as giving ill-fated advice in January and February. It -- there have to be consequences to this. But, look, I will be honest with you. I'm not surprised Joe Biden wants to -- wants to keep us roped into another international organization. I mean, Joe Biden actually condemned President Trump's actions when he suspended all travel from China at the end of January. You know, the fact that the president did that, I can tell you firsthand, Bret, that bought our nation invaluable time to reinvent testing, to spin up hundreds of millions of personal protective equipment and supplies, to begin the process of pursuing medicines, therapeutics, and vaccines. If -- if Joe Biden would've had his way, we literally would've had tens of millions of more Chinese coming into our country and spreading the pandemic and putting more and more Americans at risk. BAIER: I want to talk to you (ph) -- PENCE: So, right decision on the WHO. Joe Biden would've made the wrong decision in January. BAIER: Apologize for the delay. I want to talk to you about China in just a minute. But just to wrap up the coronavirus -- PENCE: Yes. BAIER: And you lead this task force. Obviously, the numbers are going up. The president wants us to focus on death rate. And we do. And I will mention that in a minute. The administration critics say the president constantly downplays the seriousness of COVID-19. And they say he speaks in optimism, not reality. Take a listen to this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: We have tested almost 40 million people. By so doing, we show cases, 99 percent of which are totally harmless. THOMAS BOSSERT, FORMER WHITE HOUSE HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER: We have to start at the basics and level with people. Suggesting that it's not dangerous is, in itself, a dangerous message. (END VIDEO CLIP) BAIER: Mr. Vice President, Tom Bossert obviously served in the administration with you. Health experts say it's just not the case that only 1 percent of cases, COVID cases, that they're dangerous. It's more than that. So, is there a messaging problem here with the virus? PENCE: Well, look, the American people know President Trump is an optimist. He believes in this country. But he also believes the American people deserve to have the whole story. I mean, the reality is, because of what the president did in suspending all travel to China, we were able to stand up a national response that has saved hundreds of thousands, and perhaps even millions, of American lives. We have rising cases right now along the South, Bret. I was in Texas and Arizona and Florida last week. And the good news is, is, as we told governors again today, we have the resources to support all the testing that they need. We have new therapeutic medicines that -- like remdesivir, that have been distributed all across the country. And we have literally tens of millions of personal protective equipment supplies in reserves, even though I heard from the governors that I personally met with that the PPE effort by the national government has been so strong that the hospitals all across the Sunbelt that are seeing rising cases have more than enough PPE. What they did request of us, and the president authorized, was us to send additional doctors and nurses. We are in the process of doing that in all four of the larger states that have been impacted so far. And we will do it in any other states that request it. BAIER: Right. On the -- PENCE: But what the president wants the American people to know is that our national response, whether it be testing, whether it be PPE, whether it be the supplies and the medicines, has saved American lives. More than two months ago, Bret, we were losing 2,500 Americans a day, and there was a day just recently where we only lost 250 Americans. BAIER: Right. PENCE: That's a 90 percent reduction in fatalities. BAIER: So -- PENCE: It's a credit to the American people, to all the sacrifices they have made, to our healthcare workers. But, ultimately, it's a credit to our national response, which has secured one of the lowest mortality rates in the world. BAIER: Right. Now, you talk about mortality. Dr. Fauci said today that it's a false narrative to take comfort in the lower rate of death, because there are so many things very dangerous about this disease. Don't get yourself into false complacency. You are right about the mortality rates. But some experts are saying they drag behind, with the cases going up, that the death rates -- well, let's hope not, but they may follow. Here -- Dr. Fauci also said that state and local governments should mandate mask-wearing, especially if there is an outbreak there. Do you agree with that recommendation? PENCE: Well, we -- what we agree with is whatever state and local officials determine is appropriate for their area. I mean, from the very beginning, President Trump has made it clear that we are going to support our governors, we are going to support local health officials in taking the steps that they deem are most appropriate. But back to Dr. Fauci, who I have worked with very closely now for four months, you know, the -- I can assure you, there is no complacency in the administration. And the president isn't referring to the lowest mortality rate in the world as a reason for complacency. He just -- he wants the American people to know that we have made progress combating this pandemic because of all the sacrifices they have made. And we are going to continue to make sure that states across this country, particularly across the Sunbelt, have the resources and the supplies to do everything in their power, with those incredible healthcare workers in those hospitals, to keep those losses low, again, the lowest in the world by several measures. It's a credit to the American people. And we are not going to relent in our effort to make sure that our states have the testing resources to identify people -- BAIER: Yes. PENCE: -- have the PPE to render healthcare, have the extraordinary medicines like remdesivir, like the steroid treatment, like convalescent plasma, that are really bringing real relief and restoring health to Americans. It's -- BAIER: Mr. Vice President -- PENCE: We just -- we owe it to the American people to give them the whole story. And while you see cases rising -- and, frankly, some in the media want to focus exclusively on rising cases -- the American people deserve to understand that we are making progress in this pandemic. It's because of all that they have done. And we are going to make sure every state and every community that has rising cases and rising positivity rates has everything they need to meet the moment. BAIER: Mr. Vice President, I wanted to give you time to talk about that. There -- your shot just dropped out for a second. If you wouldn't mind, I do want to ask you about China. PENCE: Sure. BAIER: Do you have a second on the other side of this break? PENCE: You bet. BAIER: OK. We will be back with the vice president of the United States after this. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) BAIER: Again, joined by the vice president of the United States. Mr. Vice President, thank you for sticking around. PENCE: You bet. BAIER: On China, Secretary of State Pompeo said you all are considering the banning of this Chinese-owned app TikTok. The FBI director spoke out very aggressively with me, and then gave a speech this week about China. You have spoken out a couple of times aggressively about China. PENCE: Yes. BAIER: Is China our enemy? PENCE: Well, there's no question China is a strategic competitor with -- BAIER: Lost the feed there from the vice president. Let's see if we reestablish this connection. Don't think we have him up. Mr. Vice President, can you hear me? OK, we will try to reestablish that connection. Oh, here we go. Sorry for the interruption, Mr. Vice President. You were saying on China? PENCE: Well, no one's been tougher on China than President Donald Trump, Bret. I mean from very early on, this president stood strong to reset an imbalanced trading relationship that previous administrations allowed to develop in a way that, when we took office, half of our international trade deficit was with China. The president stood strong. He also made it clear that we are going to defend our strategic interests in the region. Two aircraft carriers in the South China Sea as we speak is evidence of our commitment to continue to remain an Asian-Pacific power and preserve freedom of navigation. But I must tell you that, whether it be the stand on Huawei, or what we're currently considering with TikTok, this president also made it clear that we are going to preserve the national security interests of the United States of America from being compromised by the Chinese Communist Party. And so, these entities, whether it be Huawei and perhaps even TikTok, that represents a threat to the privacy and to the security of the country, we will continue to take a strong stand. BAIER: I want to end with this, turning to topics that the president brought up this week. Did NASCAR make the right move banning the confederate flag? PENCE: Well, let me say that we respect the right of private organizations to make the decisions that they deem appropriate for their organization and for their fan base. But, at the end of the day, the president -- as he said again today, he believes in freedom of speech -- will always stand for that for every American. But I must tell you that being a part of an administration that saw the lowest unemployment rate ever recorded for African-Americans, that we heard again today at our education summit has made historic investments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, working to open up those schools and all of our schools around America as we speak, expanding Opportunity Zones, I think people, whether it be African-Americans or any American, looks at the record of this administration, and knows that this is a president who is committed to being president for all of the American people and to seeing all of the American people live the American dream. BAIER: Yes. I guess the state of Mississippi removed the confederate symbol from its flag. And Republicans in that state said, like Roger Wicker, it was the right thing to do. It's a symbol that more and more represents a day in the past that we don't want to celebrate. And some of those Republicans thought there was a disconnect, at least, in what was tweeted out by the president. You're saying there's not? PENCE: Well, there's not. And we fully respect the decision made by the people of Mississippi going forward. And quite apart from the whole issue of the confederate flag, I just think it's the question of -- as the president said at Mount Rushmore, we are going to defend the great and long story (ph) history of this country. We have been on a relentless journey toward a more perfect union. We went through a terrible Civil War; 600,000 Americans died on both sides to end slavery. We saw the advance in my lifetime of the civil rights movement, at great cost. And we are going to continue to celebrate all of the ideals of this country, the contributions of every American, of every race and creed and background. And this president, in a very real sense, I promise you, is going to continue to defend America and defend America's great traditions against those who want to tear down statues, who want to erase our history. We believe that we can learn from our history, we can move forward together, and that's how we are going to have a more united United States of America.

BAIER: Mr. Vice President, we really appreciate your time, your extra time, thank you for sticking around, and we'll see you down the road.

PENCE: Thank you, Bret.

BAIER: Up next, we'll have the other day's news. Stay here on SPECIAL REPORT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: Breaking just before the show tonight, the top U.S. general in the Middle East says he was aware of intelligence about a Russian bounty program targeting American troops in Afghanistan, but CENTCOM commander General Kenneth McKenzie says that while he found it worrisome, he did not believe it was tied to actual death on the battlefield and saw nothing of that. We'll continue to follow that story.

In tonight's Democracy 2020 report, even in these uncertain time, Joe Biden can count on at least one primary election vote tonight, his own. The presumptive Democratic nominee participated in the election in Delaware. It comes as we learn new details of how President Trump is trying to frame his challenger and whether that's working. Here is correspondent Peter Doocy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETER DOOCY, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: President Trump is trying to peg Joe Biden as a figurehead surrounded by radical leftists.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Sleepy Joe, and he wouldn't call the shots. He would have nothing to do with it. Lock him in the Oval Office, let's just do what we want to do.

DOOCY: But in a new memo, the Biden campaign argues lines like that aren't landing. Quote, "The reality, while Donald Trump is desperately trying to paint Biden is out of the mainstream, Trump's record of shoveling taxpayer money to big corporations, cutting taxes for the wealthy, and suing to take away protections for people with preexisting conditions couldn't be any further from the values of ordinary Americans." Now part of the team that helped Barack Obama get elected twice argues this president's approach could hurt all Republicans up in November.

JIM MESSINA, OBAMA 2012 CAMPAIGN MANAGER: What President Trump needs to do is become president and pull the country together, and instead he's spending his whole time attacking everyone but himself, and it's doing real damage.

DOOCY: President Trump's former chief of staff agrees.

MICK MULVANEY, INCOMING ACTING WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: I think he's got some real headwinds to face.

DOOCY: But he has some ideas about how President Trump can turn things around.

MULVANEY: The president can go back to drawing those contrasts between him and Joe Biden. If it becomes a race between Trump and Biden, I think the president does extraordinarily well.

DOOCY: The DNC is now working closer with the Biden campaign than they ever did with the Clinton campaign, as Democrats cross their fingers their side doesn't get overconfident.

MESSINA: We are the party that screwed up 2016 and lost to Donald Trump in the first place.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DOOCY: Joe Biden just did his part to help Joe Biden to be Trump, and it has nothing to do with a speech or a policy paper. He voted by mail in his home state's primary. So he did as much as any Delaware resident can. Bret?

BAIER: Peter, thank you. Be sure to check out my podcast "The Campaign." It comes out every Tuesday, 5:00 p.m. Peter is on there. You can download it at https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__FOXnewspodcast.com&d=DwICAg&c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&r=tgDLkJy54PfJyWJwul3dKe54qGxqO7b7d5vjo7RcZds&m=vJas5qum2TTQuTN76qk_1WhNsWBva4cKbeUrfxsU0Lw&s=W3CcyXxHciOarfViIOJsnYjFNGt8UByYSHGVuulffIQ&e= or wherever you download podcasts. It's a great panel discussion, update on the state of the race right now week to week.

Stock were off today. The Dow lost 397, the S&P 500 fell 34, the Nasdaq finished down 90.

Up next, President Trump's niece spills some of what she says are family secrets. We have the book and a report.

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BAIER: We're getting our first look at some of the explosive claim in a new book by President Trump's niece. We have the book. Correspondent David Spunt has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It's a book of falsehoods.

DAVID SPUNT, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: That book is "Too Much and Never Enough, How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man," 200 pages that tell a story of dysfunction and the rise to power. Mary Trump spills alleged family secrets and private conversations. Without providing proof, she claims that more than 50 years ago, her uncle, who she calls "Donald" throughout the book, paid a friend to take his SAT test help him get accepted at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, writing "That was much easier to pull off in the days before photo IDs and computerized records. Donald, who never lacks for funds, paid his buddy well." It's an accusation the White House denies.

Mary Trump is the daughter of the president's late brother Fred. She recounts the stress from her father's death in 1981 following a battle with alcoholism.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Great guy, best looking guy, best personality, much better than mine.

(LAUGHTER)

TRUMP: But he had a problem.

SPUNT: Mary Trump recalls an alleged conversation with her aunt, retired federal judge Maryanne Trump Barry, in 2015. According to Mary, her onset "He's using your father's memory for political purposes," Maryanne said, "and that's a sin, especially since Freddy should have been the star of the family." She claims the president's sister doubted his election prospects and called him a clown.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear.

SPUNT: Mary has seldom been in touch with the president, admitting she was estranged from his immediate family for years, cut out of her grandmother's will and unwelcome at her funeral. The book comes just weeks after former National Security Advisor John Bolton released his tell-all of his time in the White House and two months before a book about the First Lady from former aide Stephanie Winston Wolkoff is set to hit shelves.

KELLYANNE CONWAY, COUNSELOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: We imbue instant credibility onto anybody, especially those not under oath and writing works of fiction, perhaps, or a fiction within a work of fiction, as long as they are out there to get the president.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SPUNT: This is the book, Bret. President Trump's younger brother Robert fought in court to block the book's release, arguing that Mary signed a confidentiality agreement. After bouncing back and forth to several judges, the book is scheduled for release one week from today. No comment tonight from the president's sister, Judge Trump Barry, about the book. Bret?

BAIER: OK, David, thank you.

There are a lot of questions tonight concerning what we know and what we don't know about the coronavirus. Correspondent Doug McKelway looks at some of them this evening.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DOUG MCKELWAY, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Two months after his first appearance on Florida beaches, the ominously dressed lawyer Daniel Uhlfelder came back to the beach as the Grim Reaper, as if to prove his earlier warnings about COVID-19 research. But 120 days in, there's still much unknown. The president tweeted yesterday "Cases up because of massive testing, deaths are down, low and steady." The tweet is largely true.

DR. MARC SIEGEL, NYU LANGONE MEDICAL CENTER: Case numbers have doubled over the past few weeks, but I'm seeing a decreasing in trends yesterday, 47 deaths. Deaths are extremely low.

MCKELWAY: Nationwide, positive cases are at 44,953 in the last week, but deaths are up only 325. That's a distinction not made in some reporting, and many experts still maintain some states reopened too soon.

DR. TOM FRIEDEN, FORMER CDC DIRECTOR: If you open when cases are still increasing, as many states did, it's like leaning into a left hook. You're going to get hit hard, and that's what's happening.

MCKELWAY: The south and west is where heat and ultraviolet sunlight were expected to slow the spread. One suggestion is that stifling summer heat is driving people to the air-conditioned indoors, where the virus may thrive. The Cleveland Clinic notes that air-conditioning moves air around in a room, but sys there's is no clear evidence it spreads the virus.

Another unknown -- is it possible to be re-infected with COVID-19? The CDC finds, quote, "The immune response, including duration of immunity, is not yet understood."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCKELWAY: Another question -- do masks really help? Early on in the pandemic, Surgeon General Adams cautioned against using them, but now that the disease has determined to be transmissible, he says they can make all the difference. Bret?

BAIER: Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx do, too. Doug, thank you.

Up next, the panel on the coronavirus, schools, testing, and my interview with Vice President Pence.

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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We are still knee-deep in the first wave of this. The current state is really not good.

DR. DEBORAH BIRX, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE COORDINATOR: In the rush to just close things down, there was not -- everything was not completely considered in that moment about how we were going to protect our children.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We want to get our schools open. We want to get them open quickly, beautifully in the fall.

MIKE PENCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: It's far beyond academics that millions of families rely on our local schools. Many of our children that struggle with emotional challenges or disabilities, they receive those services at school.

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BAIER: Opening up the schools a priority, Vice President Pence talking about it on the show earlier. Let's bring in our panel, Charles Hurt, opinion editor for "The Washington Times," Mara Liasson, national political correspondent for National Public Radio, and Jonah Goldberg, editor in chief of "The Dispatch."

Mara, it's obviously a priority. The president is saying he's going to pressure governors if they don't do it. But as we saw in the lockdown, eventually governors make the call in those states and localities.

MARA LIASSON, NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: Yes. And look, every parent wants their kids to go back to school. Speaking for myself, that's true. But the big question is will reopening the schools take the same path as reopening other parts of the economy, where after you did that in certain states you had spikes. Sometimes classrooms can be petri dishes, and even if kids are not affected by the virus as much, teachers can be. So it's really important to get it right, and I know schools all over the country including my own kids schools are struggling with how to do it, how many kids should go back in the classroom at once, what kind of distancing do you impose. So this is a tricky problem.

BAIER: And Jonah, there is obviously a disparity across the country with the ability of do some kind of hybrid or distance-learning where they come in, and if there's an issue then they go onto the computer. Not everybody has the same connectivity.

JONAH GOLDBERG, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: It's not even just a state by state or jurisdiction by jurisdiction, it's also a level of school by level of school thing. Little kids are going to have different requirements than high school kids. Some states in warmer climates could figure out ways to do classes outside. You can't really ask Minnesota students to do a lot of classes outside in the fall and winter. So there's so much variation here.

And I think it's very smart of the administration to talk about how much they want the schools to open because everybody agrees with that, but the devil is in the details, and it's a very strange disconnect to say that masks should be a state by state local issue, but schools should uniformly open all across the country. I think that's a real logistical hurdle for them.

BAIER: Right, the two mandates there. Charlie?

CHARLES HURT, OPINION EDITOR, "WASHINGTON TIMES": I actually think that its' -- I agree with Jonah that it's very wise for the administration to be talking about the importance of opening up schools. But I'd say going into the election, we have a very clear difference between that candidates, between President Trump and Vice President Joe Biden. Voters will have a real opportunity to pick between the two strategies. And I have to say that I do think the notion that you are pressuring localities to make those decisions at a local level is probably a very wise one. But meanwhile, pressuring people to open up is also a very important step in all of that. But at the end of the day we will have a referendum on this.

BAIER: Mara, I want to turn to China. You have the FBI director, the secretary of state, now the vice president very aggressively talking about it, seems like it is coming to a head with some more executive actions about China. The trade deal, is it up in the air or not? We didn't really get there. But it seems like it also is going with campaign to pin China on Joe Biden.

LIASSON: Yes, this is really tricky because the president wants the trade deal, but he also wants to be as tough on China as possible, because the argument that he's been pushing is that Joe Biden was too soft on China. China is one of the biggest contrasts he's trying to make, and I think the Biden campaign is trying as hard as they can to not make it easy for the Trump campaign to do that, returning fire, saying John Bolton's book, other evidence that we have that President Trump has been too easy on China. And I think you're just going to see this unfold, whether it's TikTok, Huawei, all sorts of other front lines. But China and that U.S. are decoupling, and its big flash point in the campaign.

BAIER: And it's a big flash point in the world, Jonah.

GOLDBERG: No, it is. I think it's baked into the cake that we're going to be entering an era of hawkishness towards China. The only question is going to be whether it's going to be dumb hawkishness and smart hawkishness, because we definitely need to push back on China. China needs to get that message. We need allies in the region, and I fear that this campaign, we're not going to get a lot of smart hawkery, and we're going to get a lot of pandering from both campaigns.

BAIER: Oh, come on, it's a campaign.

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BAIER: We'll see.

GOLDBERG: I know you're shocked.

BAIER: Yes, shocked, shocked. Thank you all, panel.

When we come back, the brighter side of things, some good news.

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BAIER: Finally tonight, as promised, the brighter side, helping each other out.

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BAIER: Twice a week at 6:00 p.m., Damaris Silva serenades sick patients and staff at a Chilean hospital with her violin. She walks the halls for several hours playing the mix of popular Latin songs, very welcome.

From Chile to Alabama. When a customer at a restaurant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, noticed an employee walking to work, the generous stranger decided to help out. The restaurant film to the employee being led to his new car as colleagues shared in the surprise from the anonymous donor. Now that is something you don't see every day.

Thanks for inviting us into your home tonight. That's it for this SPECIAL REPORT, fair, balanced, and unafraid.

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