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Buttigieg, Klobuchar, O'Rourke Endorsing Biden; Sanders Holding Rally In Super Tuesday State Minnesota; Six Deaths, At Least 102 Cases Of Coronavirus In U.S. Aired 9-10p ET

Aired March 02, 2020 - 21:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


[21:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST, CUOMO PRIME TIME: I am Chris Cuomo in the CNN Election Center. We have a special edition of CUOMO PRIME TIME, Countdown to Super Tuesday.

There are big buckets of delegates to be had, and now all new stakes. The big question for the Democrats is can they come together? We saw some big moves in that direction on the eve of the big event.

We're waiting for a Joe Biden rally in Texas as the former Vice President is getting key endorsements tonight. From who? Three former rivals, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, and Beto O'Rourke.

So, what do we see in the state of play? It's now a four-way race. You got Sanders and Biden. Then you have the two other candidates looking to take them down, Bloomberg and Warren.

This is a dramatic lead-up to primaries in 14 states, all across the country. You're going to have voters in all different types of time zones and socio-economic slices going to give their verdict.

Now, and like I said, it's not just about doing well at the polls now. It's about delegates. 1,300 delegates on the line for Super Tuesday, that's about a third of all the delegates up for grabs this primary season.

You cannot understate or overstate the importance here. This is where the delegate race stands right now. Sanders and Biden currently in fairly close competition, Warren trailing.

Buttigieg, Klobuchar, they have some delegates. Will they, you know, would all those people go over to Biden? We'll see. That will come Convention time. But they're certainly rallying behind Biden.

So, let's go to Arlette Saenz. She's at the Joe Biden rally in Dallas.

Arlette, we saw Pete Buttigieg earlier with Joe Biden. Whom do we expect and what are the big events that will be at the rally tonight?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Chris, Joe Biden is certainly trying to project a sense of strength and a message of unity tonight, as he's picking up a trio of endorsements from his former rivals.

You mentioned that he stopped at a restaurant with Pete Buttigieg, who encouraged his supporters to endorse and - and support Joe Biden in the primary race.

And tonight, Amy Klobuchar will be joining Biden at this rally here in Dallas. Beto O'Rourke, who dropped out several months ago, he is also expected to endorse the former Vice President.

This has been quite the turn of events over the past 48 hours that really started with Joe Biden's decisive victory in South Carolina on Saturday night, after he had lost in those first three nominating contests that came before.

And what Biden is trying to do right now is coalesce the moderate support around his candidacy and turn this into a two-person race between himself and Bernie Sanders. Bernie Sanders, of course, is the delegate leader right now.

But Joe Biden is hoping to blunt a bit of Bernie Sanders' momentum heading into Super Tuesday. Biden hopes that South Carolina is going to give him that boost in those Super Tuesday contests in delegate- rich states like right here in Texas.

In fact, even before Joe Biden had won in South Carolina, he had told me that he thought he could possibly win in a state like Texas, also pointing to North Carolina.

But in a short while, Biden will be taking the stage here as he's trying to project that sense of unity. Tomorrow, he'll be in Oakland, California before wrapping up the evening in Los Angeles as he rallies with his supporters on Super Tuesday, Chris.

CUOMO: All right, Arlette Saenz, thank you very much. It's very interesting.

So, Joe Biden, we're waiting for the rally to start. He's in Texas where Sanders is expected to do very well. Sanders is getting ready to do a rally in Minnesota, where Biden is hoping, with the help of Klobuchar, he will do very well.

So, we'll be monitoring both those situations. And when the main events start to come to play, we'll take them to you live, absolutely. Right now though, let's get a little sense of what all these events mean.

So, Gloria, would you call it a surprise that Klobuchar and Buttigieg didn't wait until after Super Tuesday to get out or do you think this was pressure to create a moment before Super Tuesday?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: I don't think it's really a surprise. I think what each of them did was in a - in a way, very statesman-like, because if they want to help their wing of the Party - Party, and that means Joe Biden, this is what they needed to do.

I think Amy Klobuchar obviously was feeling pressure in her home state, didn't want to perhaps lose to Bernie Sanders in her home state.

[21:05:00]

And Pete Buttigieg and also Amy Klobuchar were running out of money and run - and running out of runway. And so, they did what they - they did what they had to do.

I think with three days, between South Carolina and Super Tuesday, there just isn't a lot of time, and you have to make these decisions very quickly because an endorsement afterwards, if say Biden did really badly on Super Tuesday, and they wanted to help him out, wouldn't really mean as much.

CUOMO: True. So, it is not beyond reasonableness to suggest that these two people got phone calls from people higher-up in the Party saying, "You know, if you're thinking of doing something, it means a lot more to us now than after the votes come in on Tuesday."

DAVID AXELROD, FORMER OBAMA SENIOR ADVISER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, CNN HOST, THE AXE FILES: I'm sure that's true. I'm also sure that they had those discussions internally, I mean, as part of the discussion of getting out, the natural discussion is "And then what and should we jump?"

And - and both these candidates have been pretty clear about where they stood. They've both been hard on Bernie Sanders in these debates. They both aligned themselves in the more center-left lane.

This is the decisive battle on Tuesday. You know, Biden has to draw close enough to Bernie Sanders that this thing continues, and that he is in the hunt. And so, if you're going to make your endorsement count, it's much more important to do it before this Tuesday than after this Tuesday.

Michael Bloomberg is a different situation. I'm sure the Biden people might have liked him to get out as well.

BORGER: Before--

AXELROD: But he's invested, you know, hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars in this proposition, and probably has to see Super Tuesday through if--

CUOMO: He hit Biden with his toughest shot to date, and it was interesting to me. Please, feel free to disagree. But he said the one thing about Biden that he could say that actually inures to the benefit of Donald Trump. He said "Biden is not a manager."

AXELROD: Yes.

CUOMO: "He's a legislator."

The only person who qualifies as a manager in this mix right now would arguably, arguably, be Trump. In terms of who's more of a manager, Biden or Trump, you might say Trump, because he's a businessman, although his record doesn't look good. That was big shot from Bloomberg, wasn't it?

AXELROD: It was. And it was obviously one that tries that it was meant to stress his comparative advantage.

I will say, Chris, I served in the White House with Joe Biden. I was there actually when he managed the afford - the Recovery Act. $887 billion that went out the door in a real hurry and nary a trace of scandal associated with it because he did manage it well.

He did take on the assignments that Barack Obama gave him, and he did discharge them well. So, that is a fair rebuttal on his part.

CUOMO: It's an outsider comment, right, Nia, I mean, that's what he's going for?

AXELROD: Yes.

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes, it is. But, you know, and you've heard Bloomberg say something similar before, essentially that - that Joe Biden somehow wasn't - wasn't experienced enough to be President which, you know, I don't really know how far that's going to get him in terms of trying to go up against Joe Biden.

It's true that they are in the same lane. Most of the voters I'd imagine that we see in polls who are attracted to Bloomberg's candidacy, would ordinarily maybe be attracted to Biden.

This - some polls showed him doing well with African-American voters in some of these states, and we know those folks are going to be important in those Southern states.

But it's also true that he's taken on some water, courtesy of Elizabeth Warren, who has really attacked him, and essentially said "You're not even a Democrat, why should Democrats rally around you?"

And you also hear that something that Biden saying too, "Shouldn't Democrats actually nominate a Democrat?"

CUOMO: All right, well let's do this.

We're waiting on the two events. So, let's take a quick break. We'll come back whoever gets to the mic first wins. We'll either go to Sanders, we'll go to Biden, and this is a very big night, because this is the last message before tomorrow.

Tomorrow, all the machinery is in place to get the vote out. Who's got the message tonight? Who's got the best spin? We'll bring it to you, right after this break.

[21:10:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Countdown to Super Tuesday.

The Democratic presidential race, right now, shaping up more of Sanders versus Biden, why?

Well, the field is shrinking, Joe Biden consolidating moderate support. What does it mean? What does it tell us about the Party? What does it tell us about the state of play going into all-important tomorrow? And a look at key swing states in the fall.

We're joined by two Michigan Democrats, different points of view though, OK. You got former Michigan Governor and CNN Political Commentator, Jennifer Granholm. She helped Joe Biden prepare for the debates.

Also with us, CNN Political Commentator, Abdul El-Sayed, he has endorsed Bernie Sanders.

Abdul, it's good to have you with us tonight. Let me start with you.

Right now, we have, who walking out, Sanders? All right, so we'll monitor this. You tell me, in the Control Room, when you want us to go full, and we'll talk about these issues.

We'll go right now. Abdul, let's not mess with time. Let's listen to the - the rally.

(MUSIC)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you.

(CROWD CHANTS BERNIE!)

SANDERS: Whoa!

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: Thank you, St. Paul. Whoa!

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: I can't believe this turnout. Thank you so much for being here tonight.

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: And let me introduce you to the next First Lady of the United States, Jane Sanders.

(CROWD CHEERS)

[21:15:00]

SANDERS: It looks like St. Paul is ready for a political revolution.

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: Let me thank those who have gone up here before, Maria Isa and her band.

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: Let me thank Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats.

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: Let me thank Michael Fairbanks.

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: City Councilwoman Nelsie Yang.

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: Dana Bertinez (ph).

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: Jean Ross of the National Nurses United.

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: Let me thank Jeremiah Ellison, and his dad, the Attorney General of the great state of Minnesota, Keith Ellison.

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: Let me thank Elianne Farhat.

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: Let me thank Erica Schatzlein.

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: Let me thank Mayra Lopez.

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: And let me thank one of the bravest people I know, your Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: You are very fortunate indeed to have a great Congressman - Congresswoman like Ilhan.

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: Now, before I begin, I want to mention to you what I think all of you know, and they know that - you know that your Senator Amy Klobuchar dropped out of the presidential race today.

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: And, you know, you know, I've known Amy for a very long time. We came into the Senate together in 2006. And she is one of the hardest workers that I know. I like Amy.

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: And yesterday, Pete Buttigieg dropped out of the race as well.

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: And as you all know, Pete's campaign was an historic campaign and a brave campaign. He is the first openly gay candidate for President of the United States.

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: And tonight, I want to open the door to Amy's supporters, to Pete's supporters.

(CROWD CHEERS)

SANDERS: I know that there are political differences. But I also know that virtually all of Amy's support and Pete's support understand that we have got to move toward a government which believes in justice, not greed.

(CROWD CHEERS)

CUOMO: All right, now, we're watching Bernie Sanders in Minnesota. And you just saw something very unusual for Senator Sanders.

Now, one thing you're witnessing, that is the only time you'll see it on the Democratic side is with Sanders, at this point, the energy of that crowd. You're not going to see anything like that for any of the other Democrats involved until you get to the Convention.

But let's bring in our two debaters that we have tonight from Michigan that we had before, Abdul El-Sayed, and Jennifer Granholm.

I haven't heard the Senator deal with dissent the way he just did there, Abdul. He praised Amy Klobuchar. He praised Pete Buttigieg. He knows they're both in Texas right now, giving a boost to Biden.

But he was gracious and opened the door. He didn't go full-on "Us versus them." Is this a different tack from Bernie Sanders?

DR. ABDUL EL-SAYED, SANDERS SUPPORTER, (D) FORMER MICHIGAN GOVERNOR CANDIDATE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know I'll be honest with you.

Bernie has always been very strong against issues, but he's actually very warm towards individuals, and that's actually very consistent with the Bernie Sanders that I know.

I will say though that you got to accentuate that energy like you did, Chris. That kind of energy, you haven't seen in a Joe Biden rally, since I think he took on CornPop. So, this is a moment where we have to understand that it is going to

be that kind of enthusiasm, young people coming out to lay claim to their democracy, that is going to change our future, our trajectory, in 2020, and that's behind Senator Sanders.

CUOMO: Now, look, again, you can't sleep on a movement. You could argue, in 2016, a lot of analysts did that with Donald Trump, and we see where we are today.

[21:20:00]

Jennifer Granholm, though, you can't sleep on what a Party wants either, and there is a growing concern within your ranks that Bernie Sanders may mean one thing to the movement, but something else to some 44 vulnerable seats that Democrats are worried about, and that's why you see Biden and Klobuchar and Buttigieg in the same place.

What is the significance there?

JENNIFER GRANHOLM, (D) FORMER MICHIGAN GOVERNOR, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, I mean clearly, there is a concern about what people know that Donald Trump will do in a general election to somebody who is a self-described Democratic Socialist.

He will do everything - this is why he wants him, right, to run against, because he wants to be able to say "He's a communist. He's a socialist." He'll be able to call him all sorts of names.

Of course, he would do this with any candidate. I'm not saying that - that, you know, Bernie Sanders is the only one he would go after.

But all those down-ballot candidates who ran in these swing districts, who really are moderates, and we are from a swing state. Michigan is a swing state. And there's a - and we had several pick-ups in that state.

And the people who won those seats don't necessarily want to be associated with what they know Donald Trump will call Bernie Sanders in the general election. It is a problem.

CUOMO: But Guv, why is he plus-10 over Biden in Michigan right now?

GRANHOLM: Well, I mean can you believe any poll today, Chris, any poll today?

CUOMO: I'll believe that one for the sake of this argument.

GRANHOLM: Well OK, for the sake of the argument. I mean Bernie Sanders did do well in Michigan in 2016. He won the primary, and he was smart about it. He came to Michigan. He talked about working people. He talked about NAFTA.

Joe Biden is going to be able to come to Michigan, and talk about how he saved the auto industry, and this is true in Pennsylvania, it's true in Ohio. He's going to talk about how many times he was in Michigan that he

argued, inside the Obama Administration, to save the auto industry, and the workers that are represented in that industry, how manufacturing is the backbone of the economy in these states?

EL-SAYED: Now--

GRANHOLM: So, that is a really strong position for him to be able to take on.

CUOMO: Abdul, go ahead and take that on.

EL-SAYED: Now--

CUOMO: Then I have a question. Go ahead.

EL-SAYED: Yes. Now, Governor, look, it's one thing to say that you saved the auto industry. It's another entirely to say that you voted for the system of free trade that created the eventual downfall of the auto industry in the first place, first.

Second, you're right. Donald Trump is going to call anybody who we nominate a communist and a socialist. That's kind of their playbook. Anybody who's ever run as a Democrat knows that. So, I just don't think it's fair to paint that on one candidate--

GRANHOLM: Well--

EL-SAYED: --and not all the others. And then the last point that I'll make--

CUOMO: Well--

GRANHOLM: --except that he paints it on himself.

EL-SAYED: --the last point that I'll make, remember--

CUOMO: Go ahead.

EL-SAYED: --is that - is that Bernie Sanders won Michigan in 2016. He's 10 points up on Biden.

And the other thing we're not paying attention to is that the Biden campaign was puttering before this win in South Carolina. They have not invested in places like Michigan. In fact, Joe Biden himself hasn't been in Michigan since August.

And so, I wonder how much of this sort of choreographed story of a resurgence the campaign is real, how much of it looks really nice for the cameras.

CUOMO: Well winning 60 percent of the African-American vote in South Carolina isn't for the cameras. I mean, that's real, and that's something that--

EL-SAYED: Sure. CUOMO: --Bernie's going to have to show that he can offset with young voters because, you know African-Americans are going to come out at a certain percentage, regardless of age, and you have to see if the young voters will come.

But you got a bigger issue to take on, Abdul, and here it is.

You said, you know, when it comes to policy, the Senator can be rigid. That's his problem. Why can't he do one simple thing that would really change how he's perceived by moderates in his Party, which is say this?

"My principles will never change. What the policies will be, we'll have to see. I got to see what my numbers are in Congress. I have to see what the state of play is. I have to see how the economy is. These are my goals to move us towards single-payer. My goal is to get debt relief with college. We'll see what it is."

His uncompromising nature doesn't come off as virtue. It comes off as vice to his own Party. Why not sell it as "I will get things done. I'm not all or nothing?"

EL-SAYED: Well Chris, I'll tell you. You played sports. I can tell by your biceps that you were an athlete. When - when you hit the field, right--

CUOMO: Fair point.

EL-SAYED: --when you hit the field, you don't say, "Listen, I want to kick a field goal. That's my only goal." You say, "I'm going to score a touchdown. And if they stop me from scoring a touchdown, I'll kick that field goal." That's what Bernie's saying.

Unfortunately, we've got Democrats right now. They're - they're tying themselves in knots saying, "You know what? I'd be happy with a field goal because I know the other teams got a great defense."

I just think Bernie realizes that if you want to get something done, then we've got to go for all seven points. And if we can't get them, then we'll go for three. That's how he's been his entire--

GRANHOLM: But he doesn't say that part.

EL-SAYED: --that's been his entire approach in the Senate.

CUOMO: No.

EL-SAYED: That's how he's gotten things done--

CUOMO: Abdul, I understand.

EL-SAYED: --bi-partisan agreements on Yemen.

CUOMO: I understand. But he's got the lowest rating of "Works with the other side" in the Senate. He's literally statistically last. I get what you're saying about his authenticity, absolutely. But let me change the analogy and give Guv, you, the last word before we go to break.

It's not about going out, and say to the other team, "I'm going to try to go for the least that I can." It's about looking at your own team and saying "I'm not going to hog the ball the whole time. I know everybody's got to get the ball for us to win."

What do you think the stakes are going in tomorrow with Bernie versus Biden?

[21:25:00]

GRANHOLM: Oh, I think, clearly, Biden has got momentum. Bernie was going into tomorrow with a big lead, clearly.

And so, the question for all of us is what do these past 72 hours mean for Biden - Biden's momentum? I don't think that he's going to come out tomorrow with more delegates than Bernie Sanders because of California.

But I do think that he will have significantly moved the ball, to carry that analogy, toward in his - to his - am I going to mess up my sports analogies with you two, it's not going to be good.

But the bottom line is I think he's going to have done a lot of work toward giving people confidence that he can actually carry the ball across the finish line. How's that?

CUOMO: My best - my guess is you're probably the best athlete of the three of us.

GRANHOLM: Probably not!

CUOMO: But I - I thank you--

GRANHOLM: Probably not!

CUOMO: --very much, Governor. And Abdul, thank you for making the case. We're going to have a lot more opportunity to do this. Tomorrow will give a really different picture about the state of play in this Party.

GRANHOLM: For sure.

CUOMO: Thank you both.

EL-SAYED: That's right.

CUOMO: All right, we saw Bernie Sanders, huge crowd behind him. He's making his case. He's going to take on the interest. You know what he is. This is the other rally that we're waiting on, Joe Biden's.

Now, what will happen with the movement of Klobuchar, the movement of Buttigieg, and even Beto O'Rourke toward Biden, specifically in Texas? We're going to talk about that. We're also going to take on the other major story in the country right now, Coronavirus.

The man you want to talk to is Dr. Anthony Fauci. He is the man who understands our past, our present, and what we need to do to control what happens next. We're lucky to have him. We'll talk to him next.

[21:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: All right, we're back with a special edition of CUOMO PRIME TIME, of course, counting down to the big event of the primary season, Super Tuesday, which is tomorrow.

We're watching the Biden event. When we see Joe Biden come up, or we see one of the main people who are endorsing him, we'll take that.

But look, let's get some context. What are we doing right now as a country? We're looking for a leader, right? Nothing shows the need for leadership more than the rapidly spreading Coronavirus outbreak.

Latest count, six deaths confirmed in the United States, all in Washington State, at least a 102 cases had been reported nationwide. So, let's get a sense of where we are, what we can expect.

Renowned Immunologist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Doctor, always a pleasure.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Good to be with you, Chris.

CUOMO: Now, obviously, in the conversation, you get out what you want people to know.

But let me try to get you to address some common concerns. One of the things that we are hearing more and more, "I think this virus has been here a long time, and they're not telling us. How long it's been here? It's been here for months or longer, and there are numbers that we haven't heard yet."

What do you know about when the virus established itself here and how much spread there has been in the accuracy of the numbers?

FAUCI: You know, Chris, it's almost certain that it established itself here on a travel-related case from China. How long it was that the - that the situation evolved to have other cases, it's tough to say.

But I can say, with some degree of confidence, I don't really think that there was a lot of infection going on under the radar screen before we knew about the first infection. I just don't think that's the case.

CUOMO: How confident are you in the numbers that we're being given right now?

FAUCI: Well, the numbers that are given right now of the people that are recognized, I would not at all be surprised, Chris, and I don't think there is anybody that would disagree that there are going to be cases that are out there now that we haven't yet recognized that we will soon recognize.

I think it's - it's tomorrow, the next day, the next day, we're going to see cases. And the reason I say that is that whenever you have community spread, which means, by definition, you don't have any direct link to anyone other known infection, they just appear in the community, the fact that you have community spread, almost by definition, means there are going to be more that you're not aware of.

And that's the reason why the kind of aggressive identification, isolation, and importantly, contact tracing that the CDC is collaborating with the state and local health authorities is extremely important, extremely important.

CUOMO: And I know that you worked on the federal level, and the whole team did, to get the states more involved, get them testing, so you can get more data. That was a big move. Hopefully, it will make a difference.

Now, when you say cases, I don't mean to push you on the unknown, but that's where people's minds go. How many more cases? What kind of case load do you think we're looking at here? What is a reasonable set of expectations for the next couple of weeks, the next couple of months?

FAUCI: You know, Chris, if I had, you know, a really scientifically- based intelligent answer to give you, I would. The fact is we don't know. The one thing I'm certain of that there will be more.

How many more is difficult to predict because it's really going to depend on how efficient and how, in some respects, lucky we are in the contact tracing and getting people who would have been infecting other people, getting them into isolation.

There is another important thing too, the extension of travel bans to certain regions of countries like Northern Italy, and certain parts of South Korea, are going to prevent the influx of additional cases.

So, you're doing it from two different buckets. One, you're contact tracing the cases you already know are here, and you're preventing the influx of additional cases from the outside.

But in honesty, Chris, I can't predict--

CUOMO: Right.

FAUCI: --what the number is going to be.

CUOMO: No. I know. I know--

FAUCI: I just can't.

[21:35:00]

CUOMO: --it's somewhat of an unfair question. But you know it's on a lot of people's minds. I'm sure you can't go anywhere without getting asked--

FAUCI: Of course.

CUOMO: --exactly that. And the problem you have with the travel ban is you have it in over 60 countries now. So, you know, you can't just keep shutting off borders or can you?

FAUCI: No, you can't do that. But when you have something that's so obvious, like what we're seeing in the Daegu section of Korea, and in Northern Italy, where there clearly are major clusters coming out, it's very prudent to just put a time-out for that particular part of that country.

CUOMO: Now, you told me something I want you to repeat to the audience tonight, just to give us some perspective on what we're dealing with. First of all, community is how everything gets spread.

It was inevitable that it was going to happen here. You can't trace where half my family got the flu and the different bugs that they have right now going through. So, that's not some boogeyman.

You also have good perspective on--

FAUCI: Right.

CUOMO: --the people who get Coronavirus. How do you break down the fates of, let's say starting with what happens to 80 percent of the people who get Coronavirus?

FAUCI: OK. So, if you look at the experience in China, Chris, which is really the bulk of the global experience, about 80 percent of the people who get physically ill, who get clinically ill will have mild to moderate illness, which means they'll spontaneously recover without any particular kind of dramatic intervention.

About 15 percent to 20 percent of the people will get seriously ill and will require serious intervention. That would be intensive care, possible intubation, possible extraordinary means to maintain them.

When you talk about death, the individuals who are most in that risk of A, getting serious disease, and B, dying, are heavily weighted towards the elderly and people who have underlying conditions, heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, etcetera.

Now, every once in a while, Chris, you're going to get a perfectly healthy young person who will get infected, get very sick, and might even die, but the total weight of the - of the preponderance of those who get in trouble are those that fall into the categories that I just described.

CUOMO: Now, we haven't seen anybody who falls outside that category lose their life yet here to this virus. So, we'll - we'll keep a watch.

Another thing, masks. People are selling masks all over the place online. "This is how you keep it. This is what they said. Don't touch yourself. The mask makes it better." What's the reality on masks?

FAUCI: Well, right now, Chris, let me just say there is no reason for people in the United States now to be walking around with - with masks. There just isn't.

Now when you are in a situation where you have someone who is sick, one of the most important purposes of a mask is to prevent a person who is infected from transmitting it out.

So, if I had a patient that I was taking care of, besides my own PPE that I'd be wearing, I'd put a mask on the patient, and also healthcare providers, particularly the N95 masks should be used.

But the general population walking around the street right now, there really is no need to have a mask.

CUOMO: Dr. Fauci, there is nobody who understands this better for us, who is trying to lead the country through this right now than you. Thank you for being available. Thank you for giving us the realities. We'll be talking to you again soon, I hope.

FAUCI: Very good. Thank you, Chris. Good to be with you.

CUOMO: All right. Be well and stay well.

All right, here we are at Biden. Look who it is, Amy Klobuchar. Who did she walk out with? Dr. Jill Biden.

So, as they're here now, so David Axelrod, Joe Biden is there. Klobuchar comes out with Jill Biden. Joe Biden is in there somewhere. Look, this is a different rally than we just saw with Bernie, volume alone.

AXELROD: Yes.

CUOMO: So, what does this mean and what does it still leave open, though, in terms of concern with Biden?

AXELROD: Well, the - you're talking about the size of the crowd or Klobuchar--

CUOMO: No. Just like this moment, Klobuchar there standing for him.

AXELROD: Look, I think that it is a momentum builder for him. I think he, you know, he doesn't have any ads all over the country.

So, these kinds of things are signaling momentum to people who are going to go to the polls tomorrow that this is the guy. Let's unify behind him. And he's hoping that that will - that will have a kind of contagion effect, you know.

CUOMO: Good - good allusion. Let's see what she says. SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): Well how great is it to be here in Dallas, Texas!

(CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: And how great it is to be here with my family, John and Abigail, and with Vice President Biden. And how fun it is--

(CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: --how wonderful it is to be standing next to him on a stage when it isn't the debate stage.

(CROWD LAUGHS AND CHEERS)

[21:40:00]

KLOBUCHAR: So, I actually, as you all know, announced my campaign for President in the middle of a Minnesota blizzard.

(CROWD CHEERS YES)

KLOBUCHAR: Just so I could impress everyone in Texas.

(CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: And, in particular, everyone in Dallas. So, we didn't let the snow stop us. We didn't let the cold stop us. We did continue through that speech because that's what we do in the Heartland.

We made a little in this campaign, in my campaign, go a long way. And our homegrown campaign with a tremendous staff that stuck together from the beginning and volunteers every way beat the odds, and that got me up here right now on this stage in Dallas.

(CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: And the most amazing thing was getting to know so many people across the country. And I know the Vice President knows this as well.

The - the Vietnam Vet, who sobbed as he talked about losing his son to mental illness, the rancher who had voted for Donald Trump, but after he saw him give a speech in front of that Sacred Wall, with the CIA stars of those that lost their lives in the line of duty, decided he wasn't going to do it again.

(CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: The immigrant mom--

(CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: --the immigrant mom who told me she works two jobs all for her kids. And through it all, I said to them, and I believe this now, standing

with the Vice President, if you feel tired of the noise and the nonsense in our politics, and if you are tired of the extremes, you have a home with me. And I think you know you have a home with Joe Biden.

(CROWD CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

KLOBUCHAR: So many--

(CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: --so many people joined us, supported us, as we carried forward with this simple but fundamental message, and that it is time for Americans to join hands, instead of pointing fingers.

(CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: It is time - it is time to turn back the division, and the hate, and the exclusion, and the bitterness. And it is time to work together to lift up those who are left out and to bring people with us, instead of shoving them away.

(CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: I believe, and it's the reason I'm up here, that we are never going to out-divide the Divider-in-Chief. We must, as Americans, dream bigger than that. We have to be better than that.

Because if we spend the next four months, dividing our Party, and going at each other, we will spend the next four years watching Donald Trump tear apart this country.

(CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: We need - we need, Texans, we need to unite our Party, and our country, and to do it not just with our words, but with our actions. It is up to us, all of us, to put our country back together, to heal this country, and then to build something even greater. I believe we can do this together.

And that is why, today, I am ending my campaign and endorsing Joe Biden for President.

(CROWD CHEERS WITH APPLAUSE AND CHANTS "LET'S GO JOE!")

KLOBUCHAR: OK. I have a - I have a few other things to say.

Joe Biden has dedicated his life to fighting for people, not for the rich and the powerful, but for the mom, for the farmer, for the dreamer, for the builder, for the veteran. He can bring our country together and build that coalition of our fired-up Democratic base--

(CROWD CHEERS)

[21:45:00] KLOBUCHAR: --and it has fired up as well as Independents and moderate Republicans because we do not, in our Party, want to just eek by a victory. We want to win big. And Joe Biden can do that.

(CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: As you know, from all the work he has done that he will not just govern with his head. He's got a lot of good ideas. But he will also govern with his heart.

(CROWD CHEERS WITH YES!)

KLOBUCHAR: And I know that you know here in this big state of Texas that the heart of this country is bigger than the heart of the guy in the White House.

(CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: It is time - it is time, America, for a President that understands that service is not about self-interest. It is about sacrifice.

(CROWD CHEERS WITH YES!)

KLOBUCHAR: It is time for a President that represents all of America, including people in the middle of this country--

(CROWD CHEERS WITH YES!)

KLOBUCHAR: --at a time when we see people in extremes that are trying to drown out people. And most of all, it is time, and this is what I feel so strongly about, it is time for a President that will bring decency and dignity back to the White House.

(CROWD CHEERS WITH APPLAUSE AND CHANTS "LET'S GO JOE!")

KLOBUCHAR: So, at one of the debates, of our many debates, I told the story--

JOE BIDEN (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: All of which you've won.

KLOBUCHAR: Oh yes.

(CROWD LAUGHTER)

KLOBUCHAR: I told - I told the story of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, that beloved President. And when he died, they put his body on a train that went from Georgia to Washington D.C.

And the story is that people spontaneously stood along those train tracks to show their respect. And a reporter came upon a guy, regular guy. He just had his hat in his hand, and he was sobbing.

And the reporter said to him, "Sir, do you mind me asking, did you know President Roosevelt?" And the guy says "No. I didn't know the President. But he knew me. He knew me." (CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: And that is exactly what is missing right now in the White House. We have a President that has no empathy that cannot put himself in the shoes of the people of this country. Well guess who can do that?

(CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: And that is Joe Biden.

(CROWD CHEERS AND CHANTS "WE LOVE JOE!")

KLOBUCHAR: So if you--

(CROWD CHEERS AND CHANTS "WE LOVE JOE!")

KLOBUCHAR: --if you out there are trying to figure out how you stretch your paycheck to pay for your rent, or your mortgage, or someone in your family is, you know Joe knows you, and he will fight for you. If--

(CROWD CHEERS YES!)

KLOBUCHAR: --you are someone trying to decide how do you pay for the long-term care for your parents, and the child care or the college for your kids, Joe knows you, and he will fight for you.

(CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: And if you are trying to figure out how am I going to fill that prescription for insulin, or some other prescription drug, or fill my refrigerator, Joe knows you, and he will fight for you.

(CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: So, I cannot think of a better way to end my campaign than joining his because--

(CROWD CHEERS WITH APPLAUSE AND CHANTS AMY!)

KLOBUCHAR: Because America, you gave an opportunity to the granddaughter of an iron ore miner, to the daughter of a teacher, and a newspaperman. You gave me, Minnesota, the opportunity to be the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from the State of Minnesota.

(CROWD CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

KLOBUCHAR: And America, you gave me this incredible year to be a candidate for President of the United States.

(CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: It is because you have faith in what we can achieve together. It is because of your undying belief that for all of us the best is yet to come. (CROWD CHEERS)

[21:50:00]

KLOBUCHAR: So, before I turn it over to our next President, I want to remind you of something really practical. Tomorrow, tomorrow, is Super Tuesday.

(CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: Tomorrow is Super Tuesday. And Texas, you are one big Super Tuesday state.

(CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: But there are - there are 14 Super Tuesday states, including my home state of Minnesota.

(CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: So, what I want all of you to do is vote for Joe.

(CROWD CHEERS)

KLOBUCHAR: Vote for decency, vote for dignity, vote for a heart for our country. That is what he will bring to the White House. And with that, I give you the next President of the United States, Joe Biden.

(CROWD CHEERS AND CHANTS AMY!)

(CROWD CHANTS LET'S GO JOE!)

BIDEN: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

(CROWD CHANTS LET'S GO JOE!)

BIDEN: Well hello, Dallas.

(CROWD CHEERS)

BIDEN: As my mom would say, I apologize for my back.

(CROWD CHEERS)

BIDEN: But you have my back. And I promise I'll have yours.

(CROWD CHEERS)

BIDEN: Folks, Amy, thank you, thank you, thank you. You know, I want to make clear something. I can't tell you how much Amy's endorsement, the Senator's endorsement means to me.

It's - it's great to see her family, to see John, and her brilliant daughter, Abigail, who's with her. And - and from the moment Amy Klobuchar announced for President, in that snowstorm, it wasn't hard to see she had the grit and determination to do anything she set her mind to.

(CROWD CHEERS)

BIDEN: You know, Amy knows how to get things done. She really does. That's why Amy has never lost. And she's not losing now. You're going to hear a lot from Amy Klobuchar for a long, long time.

(CROWD CHEERS)

BIDEN: That's why she's one of the most effective senators in the United States Senate. Her campaign was all about what we could get done, how to make America better every day in simple straightforward ways.

Folks, the story that Amy tells about that person, who Franklin Roosevelt, as the train went by, you wanted to - that she talked about, she believes. And that notion that, you know, he didn't know - "I didn't know the President but he knew me," well let me tell you something, it's - it's everything that Amy's about.

Nobody who's ever dealt with her doesn't think that she knows them. And you know what? Isn't that everything that's missing with this President today?

(CROWD SHOUTS YES!)

BIDEN: You know, Amy spoke of something that I've have made central in my campaign for President as well, to compete and complete the total lack of empathy and decency in this current President. He cannot stay there. He cannot stay. We all know it.

There is no sense of decency or honor, the way he ridicules people, the way he demeans people, the way he talks about and demonizes people who are different, the fact that he's so self-absorbed, he doesn't seem to care about anything - anything else in this country.

Folks, I mean I - I knew - I believed that he wasn't going to be a very good President. But I have to admit to you. With Donald Trump, I didn't have any idea just how much it was going to be always about Donald Trump.

You know, and it's having a corrosive impact. It's having a corrosive impact on our children.

(CROWD SHOUTS YES!)

BIDEN: Folks, we're already seeing reports of children in school mimicking the behavior of the President.

A large piece in the "Washington Post" talked about the - the way in which teachers are finding kids are bullying other kids, and quoting the President, using the President's language, singling out immigrants for ridicule and harassment.

[21:55:00] What in God's name did we expect? What did we think was going to happen when this behavior became so clear? When teachers try to deal with this kind of behavior--

CUOMO: All right, we're listening to Joe Biden. He is going on right now about President Trump and what he represents in terms of a failure of decency. Little different tone for him though.

Ordinarily, let's bring in the panel here, ordinarily, Gloria, this is Loud and Proud Biden, yelling at the top of his lungs. It's interesting. Do you think we're seeing a shift tonight or is it just fatigue? You know--

BORGER: Could be. Could be.

CUOMO: --this has been a long day for him that he is going to be decency, quiet, compassionate, and figure out who the running mate is, and let that be loud and proud. How big a shift is tonight?

BORGER: It really could be. Look, it could be exhaustion, as you say. But--

CUOMO: It's a long day.

AXELROD: Yes.

BORGER: Right.

HENDERSON: Yes.

BORGER: But don't forget what has happened is this incredible, and I would say unprecedented, consolidation in the Democratic Party tonight of Pete Buttigieg, presidential candidate, Amy Klobuchar, presidential candidate, both, on the same day, before Super Tuesday, endorsing Joe Biden, who after Iowa and New Hampshire was basically considered roadkill.

And now, suddenly he's risen. And he's not screaming anymore, which he did when he was losing. And so, maybe this is a sign of his own security and his sense of solemnity about what he's facing tomorrow, and - and in the future or, on the other hand, he could be exhausted.

HENDERSON: Yes. And it's also going back to where he started, right? If you remember, when he announced, it was all about the battle of the soul for America, and so this seems like what he's doing tonight.

CUOMO: All right, we're going to take a break. Joe Biden is having his moment. It means a lot for him. It means a lot for Bernie Sanders as well.

We'll keep monitoring the events. Everything about Super Tuesday will change the picture of this race all the way to the Convention. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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