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New Day

States Require Travelers to Self-Quarantine; Pandemic Update from Around the World; MLB Announce New Coronavirus Cases; Barr to Testify before Congress. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired June 25, 2020 - 06:30   ET

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


[06:30:00]

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICS WRITER AND ANALYST: They are shifting into Joe Biden's column. And that's the big story, Biden is winning where there are a lot of white folks, as well as winning in those more diverse states in the sun belt. And so this, to me, is just a very broad-based movement towards Joe Biden. It's a real indication that those national polls are starting to get down into those swing states and we're seeing real movement in Joe Biden's (INAUDIBLE).

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, the silent majority that the president thinks exists might want something else than he thinks it does.

Talk to me about the impact that this has on the electoral map, vis-a- vis what we saw in 2016.

ENTEN: Yes. I think this is so key. Remember, of course, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, but she did not win in the Electoral College. So what I essentially did was I looked at the polling average, right, in all of the different states and said, if the poll average was exactly what the result would be, what would be the Electoral College result? And what we see right now is a Joe Biden blowout, right? Three hundred and sixty-eight electoral votes to Donald Trump's just 170. Biden is basically winning in all the key swing states that matter. And that 368 is over an 100 electoral vote improvement compared -- in fact it's over an 120 electoral vote improvement compared to where Hillary Clinton was just four years ago. So it's very clear that the Electoral College won't save Donald Trump if the polls right now are an indication of where we're going to be come November.

BERMAN: And one other thing I'll note, we're out of time here, is that Joe Biden is consistently at or higher than 50 percent in polls, which is somewhere where Hillary Clinton was not. You can see right there, she was at 42 percent. She was ahead, but he's nine points higher than she was four years ago.

Harry Enten, it's great to have you on this morning. Thanks so much for being with us. Really appreciate it.

ENTEN: Shalom, my friend. Like my beard a little bit? I think it looks pretty decent.

BERMAN: Keep working. Keep working on it.

ENTEN: Thank you.

BERMAN: All right, governors from three northeastern states now requiring travelers from eight states, eight states that are seeing the biggest spikes, to quarantine. Can this be enforced?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:35:50]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): You have some states who followed the president's thinking and you have New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and some other states that did a science-based reopening. Science- based reopening worked.

We fought like heck to get our infection rate down. We have the lowest infectious rate, Christopher, in the United States of America.

We just want to make sure we don't import the virus, because we learned that lesson. Been there, done that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, that was New York Governor Andrew Cuomo explaining why he joined forces with the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut to announce this 14-day self-quarantine for travelers from the eight states experiencing the highest surge in coronavirus cases.

Joining us now to talk about this and more, we have CNN political correspondent Abby Phillip and CNN political analyst Astead Herndon. He's the national political reporter for "The New York Times."

Great to see both of you.

So, Abby, back when Florida did this to New Yorkers coming in, Governor Cuomo called it political. And when Rhode Island did this to cars or threatened to for cars with New York license plates back in March, Governor Cuomo called it unconstitutional. So the tables have turned. Why now do you think it's OK?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I don't know that things have fundamentally changed between what Florida was trying to do and what Rhode Island was trying to do and what New York is trying to do now. Everybody knows that it's going to be very difficult, if not impossible, to stop people from moving freely between states. It's just not something that can be done in this country. But what New York can do is say to people who are traveling through or from those states that when you get to another place where the virus is not as prevalent, you need to take more precautions.

And I do think that there is -- what Governor Cuomo is doing is trying to fill a little bit of a leadership gap here. There's no one really communicating to the American public as a whole about what they ought to be doing, what kinds of precautions they should be taking, as they try to go about their normal lives.

And I just returned from Oklahoma, one of those states where the rates are going up, and the lifestyle in those states is incredibly different from where I am standing right now in Washington, D.C. And so it stands to reason that a lot of people who might be traveling from those states need to be communicated with.

The expectation, when you get to New York, or you get to another place where they have better viral control, is that you do wear a mask. And nobody at the federal level is telling anybody that. So it does fall on individual governors in New York and in these northeastern states to be very clear about what the expectations are for people as they try to get back to some semblance of normalcy or reopening.

CAMEROTA: Yes, I mean, and, Astead, it also stands to reason why the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut and New York want to protect the people of their states. They've been through hell. They don't want an infection flying in or driving in and starting this, you know, horrible deja vu all over again. And so it makes sense, but the enforcement is where, you know, the devil's in the details, Astead. And, in fact, the governor of New Jersey admitted on CNN last night that it's basically going to be self-regulating and rely on people's own conscience and morality.

ASTEAD HERNDON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, the enforcement here is the one that makes the announcement kind of moot. There -- you're not going to be able to make people stay in their homes even when they travel from these states. I think what these governors are trying to do is signal an intention that the virus has gone down in these states and they want people who are traveling to know that they should be taking precaution and that these states, as Abby said, that there is a different culture around mask wearing, around precautions, around how you have to, you know, kind of culturally act when you go out. That's not true in the places where we've seen the highest rates of infection.

But you cannot mandate this. And so in the same way that Governor Cuomo called the previous limitations political, this is also something that's functionally political, as well.

CAMEROTA: Meanwhile, Abby, we don't know yet if anybody has gotten sick after the president's Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally.

[06:40:02]

However, we do know that 14 Secret Service agents have been ordered to self-quarantine, or maybe a dozen, from -- for 14 days because it's possible that they were exposed.

So, this is a precaution. But is that disruptive?

PHILLIP: Well, you know, I think it is -- I don't know that it's disruptive to the functioning of the Secret Service. They have a lot of people who are able to do these things. But what it does tell you is that they are concerned that the virus was spreading among a group of people who were working in and around that rally, and that they don't have a good amount of control over who had contact with the virus and who didn't. And that is what happens when you have a culture around a White House where people don't wear masks, where people don't practice social distancing, where they don't act as if they could be potentially carrying the virus, even if they don't have symptoms.

And so when you have that kind of environment, the virus could be spreading with complete abandon. And what you will have to do is -- is, as a precaution, quarantine everyone. I don't know how long they can continue with that strategy because, eventually, you are going to run out of people. I mean if you're going to quarantine every person who goes out on a trip for the president for two weeks, and you're eventually going to run into some staffing problems.

So I do think this could be one of those moments where the White House, the Secret Service has to really think, do we really want to be as lax as we seem to be -- have been being over the last couple of weeks, and should we not take the same precautions that everyone else in the country is being asked to take around mask wearing.

CAMEROTA: Yes, and to be clear, I said a dozen. It's dozens with -- plural.

PHILLIP: Yes.

CAMEROTA: OK. So, Astead, as you know, President Trump is a fan of the confederacy or of its history, at least, and he is now on the verge of ordering U.S. Marshals to protect monuments that celebrate confederate history. And, in fact, to -- he has instructed his interior secretary to restore the only confederate statue in Washington, D.C., that was torn down last week, and that was a confederate general named Albert Pike. Albert Pike.

So, why? Why does he think that this is the right side of history to be on?

HERNDON: Yes, I don't know if this is about history more than it is about politics. This is a White House that has kind of created its kind of political mantra around white grievance. This is a president whose political history has been based in stoking these attacks. And this is something that's been a through line throughout his personal history and his administration.

And as we build up to November, this is something that the White House has keyed in on in that at that Tulsa rally and -- at that rally in Tulsa the president said that he wanted to make these a kind of criminal offense and that they're destroying our heritage. And when you hear people -- when people hear that, the question is, who is "our"? Is he talking about an America in which these people were traitors to, which they were fighting for the cause of slavery? Why is the president so intent on do -- on keeping these -- these people's memories and histories preserved?

When you hear the folks respond to this, the important point here is that we don't even know if this is a political good move for the president. Poll after poll is showing us that the Americans are not with him, not only on this issue, but on how he's handled the response to -- to protest about racial inequality. And so this is the White House, again, being so concerned with the kind of narrow focus and narrow language of its base, and it is not speaking to not only the fears of black Americans and the feelings around the confederacy, but not even the country and the electorate at large who we see in that polling, especially this morning, is not with him.

CAMEROTA: Astead, Abby, thank you both very much.

Coming up on NEW DAY, we will speak with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont about the quarantine order for travelers and how they do plan to enforce it.

Well, the Eiffel Tower reopened today after its longest closure since World War II. We have a report for you from Paris, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:48:16]

BERMAN: Developing this morning, officials in Beijing declaring they have contained the most recent coronavirus outbreak. A very different story in Latin America, where cases have tripled in the past month.

We have reporters covering the pandemic from all over the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm David Culver in Beijing where city officials now consider this most recent cluster outbreak to be basically contained in their words. It's believed to have originated in a popular wholesale food market here in the capital. Two weeks in, and several neighborhoods are still on strict lockdown. Mass testing sites, like this one that CNN toured this past week, continue to require screening for what's amounted to hundreds of thousands of residents. Of that, they have only reported about 250 confirmed cases from this most recent outbreak.

In all, since the start of the pandemic, Chinese health officials say they have conducted more than 90 million coronavirus tests.

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Matt Rivers in Mexico City.

It was about a month ago that Pan-American Health Organization officials first declared Latin America and the Caribbean to be the new epicenter of this global pandemic. And in the several weeks since, we know that cases in this part of the world have tripled, going from just under 700,000 to now standing at more than 2 million cases and more than 100,000 deaths. The director of the Pan-American Health Organization told reporters on Wednesday that she thinks outbreaks could continue to crop up in this region for the next two years, saying in part, quote, all of us must adjust to a new way of life and redefine our sense of normal. CYRIL VANIER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: I'm Cyril Vanier in Paris,

where the Eiffel Tower is partially reopening to visitors today after its longest shutdown since the Second World War. For now, the lifts are closed to avoid crowds in a confined space.

[06:50:02]

So if you want the view, you'll have to earn it, 745 steps to the second level, that's a 15-minute climb. And once you get there, the Eiffel Tower experience is a little different now with mandatory face masks, regular disinfection of services, and no access to the very top for now. An estimated 4,000 to 5,000 visitors are expected on day one.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Our thanks to our correspondents all around the world.

So just six days before the start of baseball's spring training. Several teams are reporting new coronavirus cases.

Coy Wire has more in the "Bleacher Report."

Hi, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.

In a way, sports reflecting societies as a whole, right, as teams and athletes ramp up towards a return to play, the potential reality staring them right in the face is more tests, especially in the MLB where teams plan to travel to multiple cities for games, unlike other leagues that will be playing in bubble environments.

Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Seattle Mariners now reporting positive cases on their 40-man rosters. That's on top of the teams that had already reported cases last week, Alisyn, bringing the total to nine of the 30 MLB teams reporting positive tests.

A lot of concern in the NBA as well. Three players set to play in Orlando when the season resumes, announcing positive tests yesterday, including former Rookie of the Year Pacers star Malcolm Brogden, who says he's in quarantine, but hopes to join his team when he's cleared to play. The NBA plans to resume games July 31st.

And five PGA golfers are pulling out of this week's event in Connecticut, including four-time major winner Brooks Koepka. He's out after his caddie tested positive for Covid-19. Koepka saying that although his test was negative, he feels he'd be putting other players at risk by playing.

Finally, the New York City Marathon has now been canceled. The 50th edition of the famed race was set for November 1st, but officials say that 50,000 runners posed too big of a risk. Runners getting their full refund or a guaranteed spot in a future race, Alisyn. Major events continue to be canceled, pro athletes pulling out of competitions. As more athletes test positive, how will teams and leagues respond? And what, if any, pressure will athletes feel? Something to keep an eye on, Alisyn, in the coming days.

CAMEROTA: Those are important questions.

Coy Wire, thank you very much.

So Democrats believe that Bill Barr is putting politics over justice. What do they plan to do about it?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:56:45]

BERMAN: Developing this morning, Attorney General William Barr has agreed to testify before a House hearing next month amid accusations that he has politicized the Justice Department.

CNN's Evan Perez live in Washington with the latest on this.

There's so much going on that concerns the attorney general, Evan.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, John.

Yesterday, you had a couple of sitting career prosecutors accusing the attorney general in a House committee of politicizing the Justice Department. And then, in the middle of all of that, we've got the appeals court in the District of Columbia come back with a 2-1 ruling that was written by a Trump appointee, Naomi Row (ph), who said that the -- that the district court, which has been looking at the Michael Flynn case, has no choice but to dismiss the case.

Now, you remember Michael Flynn has pleaded guilty twice. Up until recently, the Justice Department was defending its prosecution of Michael Flynn, but now Bill Barr says the case should never have been brought. Naomi Row, the Trump appointee, wrote the following. She said that the district court had no right to intrude into what the executive branch's decision to drop this case. They said that this is the prosecutorial decision to bring the case in the first place and is it the prosecutor's decision to dismiss the case.

Now, of course, this is not going to end all of this debate. The president says that Michael Flynn was railroaded. The judge is still sitting on this case and he's not really -- he hasn't really decided, John, whether or not to appeal this ruling for the entire district court of appeals. So we've got a few more days to sit on this and see whether or not this is really the end of the Michael Flynn case or whether we have some more drama to come.

BERMAN: And it really does raise much larger questions about the rule of law and the administration of justice in the country.

PEREZ: It does.

BERMAN: Evan Perez, thanks so much.

PEREZ: Sure. BERMAN: On that larger question, join CNN's Jake Tapper for a new CNN special report, Trump and the law after impeachment. It airs Sunday night at 10:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.

NEW DAY continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our big, metro areas seem to be rising very quickly and some of the models are on the verge of being apocalyptic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The three most populous states all set record highs for new cases.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our hospitals, we think, are going to get overwhelmed by mid-July. It's coming really, really quickly.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Now there's plenty of evidence just to how much of an impact masks can make.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE: It should not be a political issue. It is purely a public health issue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anybody comes from one of these very infected areas, they have to either show that they were tested or they have to quarantine.

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): It's an honor system, but if you violate it, you'll pay a several thousand dollar civil penalty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

BERMAN: All right, welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY.

Deeply troubling trends this morning in the coronavirus pandemic.

Some states in the country, right back where we started in fighting the spread. Some states, frankly, even worse off than they've been at any point in the crisis.

The three most populous states in the country, California, Texas, and Florida, all reporting record increases in new cases. Houston's mayor says the city's ICU beds are almost at capacity.

[07:00:03]

This is all having real-time consequences.

Disney is delaying the reopening of its California parks.

END