Return to Transcripts main page

Cuomo Prime Time

New Executive Order Underway; People Avoid Encounter with ICE; COVID Testing in Question; Sturgis Undeterred by Coronavirus Threat; Trump's Poll Falls Behind Biden; USPS Freezes Hiring. Aired 10-11p ET

Aired August 07, 2020 - 22:00   ET

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

[22:00:00]

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: And I know that you guys are also asking the Inspector General to review the couple's holdings, the DeJoy couple. You believe that they have between $30 million and $75 million in assets in USPS competitors or contractors, according to their financial disclosure forms. Concern?

SEN. GARY PETERS (D-MI): It is a concern. And the one reason why we're concerned is I think if you look at the statements that President Trump has made and the kinds of actions that we're seeing, we understand he basically wants to privatize, I believe, he wants to privatize the postal service. He doesn't want it to operate as doing right now. So that raises another long list of questions that we need to ask.

CUOMO: All right. Senator Peters, we'll stay on this. And you are welcome here to use the platform to argue the case for what you find.

Thank you so much.

CUOMO: All right. I appreciate.

All right. Tonight, we have a special second hour of Prime Time. I'm happy to do it. Because there's a lot of news. And yes, D. Lemon is off and deservedly so. So, thank you for spending this Friday night with me.

But I'll tell you, Friday night brings no relief these days, especially not from the president. He insists on pushing false narratives and we cannot fatigue on our fact finding.

I know the temptation. I know he said you don't have to check it every time. Yes, I do. Because every time he says the pandemic is going to disappear, somebody believes it. And it makes them nonchalant in a way that can make them sick or other people sick.

Cases are only up because of testing. That is B.S. All right? And now there's a new line of deception that maybe the most dangerous in way. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will be pursuing a major executive order requiring health insurance companies to cover all preexisting conditions for all of the customers. This has never been done before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: I'll tell you what bothers me. Somebody wrote that for him. Somebody thought it was OK to just lie to you. It has been done before. It's called Obamacare. We have protection for preexisting conditions right now.

Why does he need an executive order? He's not giving it to you. He's actively trying to take it away. No, Chris, he just said -- no. He's lying. OK? He doesn't have to give you preexisting condition protection in an executive order. You have a law. It's in the ACA right now.

He is trying actively to overturn that law which would take away the protection. And somebody wrote that, the lack of shame. It's staggering, 161,000 dead in this country. We are desperate for protection and he's lying to us about helping us when we already have what he says he's offering.

Do something. Take the mantle that you were given and exercise your power to help us with rapid testing. Make it all you talk about between now and the election. It will help you most.

We have former Obamacare administrator Andy Slavitt back with us tonight. Andy, I got to tell you I don't often say I don't get it. Usually I get exactly why he's saying what he's saying what he's doing what he's doing. Not this.

And somebody wrote that for him, someone like you. Like some policy person atop a pyramid. Said he would say this.

Is there any truth to the idea that we need an executive order for preexisting conditions to be protected? And this has never been done before other than never been done meaning someone lying like this about something that's obvious in law.

ANDY SLAVITT, FORMER ACTING ADMINISTRATOR, CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES: Of course not. If he was serious, he would drop the lawsuit that he's joined to get rid of preexisting conditions to get rid of the ACA to get to lose -- to have 23 million people lose healthcare. To essentially cut raise the price of prescription drugs.

All those things could be easily done if he just basically said to the 19 attorneys general in this case, hey, let's drop this. This is not a good time to take health insurance coverage away from people.

So, this window dressing stuff is may play to his base, it may convince people who barely skim the news. So, it's complete crap.

CUOMO: But how is it even window dressing? It's just a lie. He's not giving you anything that you don't already have. He may take it away if he wins the lawsuit. But what is he going to give in the executive order that we don't have? SLAVITT: Well, it's actually nothing because the executive order

doesn't actually do anything. It directs an agency to actually do additional work, and as you said, they would be doing work that's already been done. But the thing is people don't know that.

He has believed since the day he joined office, the first day he got there that he can basically sit in his office behind the desk, sign a paper and it would make Americans think he was actually doing something for them or accomplishing something. It's a hoax.

CUOMO: Why doesn't he do that --

(CROSSTALK)

SLAVITT: These are crazy --

CUOMO: What's your best guess at this understanding the players and the machinations of policy movement in the White House?

[22:05:00]

Why doesn't he say I'm signing an executive order today that I am directing the task force and all applicable agencies to unleash the powers of the Production Act and create everything we need for rapid testing, give money to companies, source the reagent. If they have problems with reagent which I don't believe, but OK, fine.

Get them the reagent. Give them the capital. Give them an output contract. We'll buy many of them as many as they can make. And we are going to have a syndicate with the state. Each state must give us a representative and we're going to make sure that you get the test when you need them. I'm running it all from here until the election. I'm getting our kids back in school. Could he do that?

SLAVITT: You know, I'm kind of surprised that he hasn't done at least the first part of what you said. I'm surprised he hasn't said as the Oval Office often said, here at the stroke of a pen, Americans, you have testing.

I think -- I think the reason he doesn't do that is because he's already told people that they have enough testing. And so, doing that would be admission that he didn't. Furthermore, I think he is very low to take accountability.

I talked to White House aides all during the week today and they never present him an option where the option he chooses has him holding accountability for whether it works or not. All that has to stay with the governors. Because in the end of the day he's not confident that he can succeed because the team isn't willing to do all the work.

CUOMO: See that's the problem with policy guys like you, Slavitt. You're not sneaky enough. Here is the play. The Slavitt's of the country working with governor stink. They haven't gotten it done. They don't know how to make things happen, baby. I do.

I gave Cuomo and Newsom and all these guys time. Hogan, DeWine, they know where they need to be. I'm going to get us the rapid tests. They said they want to do it. I let them do it. I said let me know if you need. They didn't come to me. It's a lie. But that's OK. That's what he does.

SLAVITT: yes.

CUOMO: I'm doing it now. I'm going to get us the rapid test, I'm going to make the U.K. look slow. I'm MAGA, baby. I'm bringing manufacturing back. And I'm doing it with the tests. We're going to make them here. The whole world is going to buy our tests. There it is. I'm home.

SLAVITT: I think you're -- I think you're 90 percent right. I think the only thing he's waiting for in my estimation, is he wants it to happen first and then he'll claim credit for it. So as soon as those tests are out there, you can be sure, I, in my view, that whether he signs an executive order or just stands up in his press conference, he will claim that he was the one that did it.

So, I think you're -- I think you're right. But I think, you know, he wants to always claim the latest success. He knows we're failing. And so right now I think it's probably too early for him to do that.

CUOMO: But we've got to get to scale. See, that's what that Georgia picture means. Right? That governor down there, Kemp, he is on the Trump train. You know, he is trying to do it the way that the president ready or not open, here we come. And this is what you get. And I don't blame the kids.

I've got one of that, I got a few of those animals. I got a 17-year- old and a 14-year-old. I would expect them to do no differently. If you say to them go to school, it's fine, the mask is optional or whatever if you think you need it. Who knows? If enough of their friends would be in this way, they'll be this way.

But how can people have confidence to send their kids to school if you can't even count who is sick in any kind of real-time?

SLAVITT: We are seeing across the country we're seeing Princeton, Georgetown, American University, you know, we have a kid, we have a son who is going to be a freshman next year in school in Philadelphia. They have yet to make the same decision.

But given that now kids their age are seven times more likely to be contracting the disease. And we know they spread it just as quickly. I find it very hard to believe that you're going to gather in places like Atlanta or Philadelphia or New York City with a bunch of kids in their 20s and actually do that. I think, you know, schools are probably going to get their tuition checks and then maybe think a little bit differently.

CUOMO: Or they better start giving that money back. The two scary things, one, New Jersey Governor, Murphy, says 45 percent of the people called by New Jersey COVID-19 contact tracers are not complying. That's nearly half. What do we do about that?

SLAVITT: I talked to Governor Murphy and a couple -- the other governors about this. And one of the problems is, it's actually related to ICE. You know, you call people in certain communities and tell them name your friends that you've been around. And surprise, surprise people are scared of the government.

So, you know, we have to try a different tactics including local churches and local trusted organizations where people can talk. Because people are in no mood to trust the government right now given what they've been through the last year. This move is going to --

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: I tell you what, I can hear the -- I can feel the fringe right hitting their key boards and saying it's the brown menace making us sick, Slavitt. You just said it. It's all those people. They're not complying. The rest of us are good. They're making us sick, the brown menace. They're making us sick. We got to get them out of this country. I'm telling you that's what they're going to say.

[22:10:04]

SLAVITT: They're saying it anyway.

CUOMO: Hey, did you -- hey, Andy, I know. But now they are going to say they have reason to. Anyway, I don't know if you watched last night. But I had Alyssa Jayne Milano on.

SLAVITT: Yes.

CUOMO: Alyssa Milano is a friend of mine. And she was gold to me when I was sick. We face timed each other all the time. And she was sick, brother. She was with me stride for stride, and then some. She kept getting tested and they kept saying she didn't have it.

Then she had an antibody test and they said they didn't have it. Only now, months after, she is still carrying some symptoms though. Now she has the antibodies. So, we know as a matter of science, if she's got the antibodies, she had the virus. How can testing stink that bad and why should people have confidence in testing after her experience?

SLAVITT: Well, I'm glad to see she's looking well.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: She's getting there. She's not 100 percent.

SLAVITT: Yes. yes. She's looking better. You know, I think the -- I think the reality is, we are -- you know, as Dr. Anthony Fauci said there's no excuse for where we are with testing. You know, the Chinese were able to test 11 million people in a weekend.

So, there's something we're not doing right. We're not doing well. We are -- we've got a few lab companies that basically are holding up as we've talked about before, a lot of the labs. And the state of the art on these tests isn't what it should be.

We talk about the governor in Ohio, DeWine last night with that mix up. We're sort of at that stage. And furthermore, I think they're not testing for the most important things which are t-cells. You know, we have to develop an essay or a test to see whether people have the t- cells which is the most important ingredient in long-lasting immunity.

CUOMO: But isn't the most important test you have it or you don't have it? I mean, in terms of keeping the population safe?

SLAVITT: In terms of reducing the spread the ability to test is critical. Now if you can't -- if after you test, you can't isolate people and you can't contact trace, testing is of limited value. But if you want to go back to school, if you want your kids to go back to school, if you want to vote in person, if you want to do any of those things, testing is the one thing that's going to make you feel safe. And that's -- you're right. It's the kind of testing that tells you whether you have it or not.

CUOMO: Yes. I mean, look, God bless Alyssa. You know, she knew she had it. So, it didn't matter what they say -- said to her. She wouldn't be around her parents, you know, she was being careful about things. But a lot of people wouldn't have been. If they got told three different times you don't have it, you got pneumonia or whatever it was, you know, who knows how many people she could have contacted especially as popular as she is.

But Andy, let me say as always, thank you for giving us a straight read on where we are and what it means for where we need to be. I appreciate it, brother. Stay healthy.

SLAVITT: Thank you, Chris.

CUOMO: All right. Now here is another culture conflict. Sturgis, have you ever heard the world-famous motorcycle rally, they are Sturgis in South Dakota? They're going to have it. A quarter million people are expected. This is live picture.

And this isn't about the helmet debate. Because look, let's face it. You wear a helmet and people make you wear a helmet seatbelt for you. Masks are about for other people. OK? Now, you got this culture conflict. Or it shouldn't be one, but it is. Thanks to Trump.

A symbol of freedom colliding with the as yet unstoppable fury of COVID. We're going to talk with a city official about what they expect and frankly what they're bracing for. Next.

[22:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Sturgis, South Dakota. It is a huge piece of American. The place is a population of 7,000. But every year is flooded with hundreds of thousands of bikers. This year is the 8th -- 80th -- sorry -- annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. And it is happening, whether the locals want it or not this year.

One quick step sideways. This is not about me not liking motorcycle culture. I love bikes, I have a motorcycle license. I have had many bikes. Andrew has got two Harleys. My son has a motorcycle. My wife didn't like it, but it was too bad. It's one compromise we had to make. I love the whole culture. I love everything about it. All right.

It's not about that. It's about safety. COVID-19 cases have been low in South Dakota and for obvious reason. They don't have density. But so many people showing up it's going to put a strain. It's going to put a strain on a place that doesn't have a lot of resources. Especially if any of those visitors are infected and don't know it. All right?

That takes us to Daniel Ainslie. He's been thinking about it, he's the city manager of Sturgis. And we welcome him to Prime Time. Again, brother, you know, I'm not here to bring the hate. I love Sturgis, I love what it's about. I love it's American. I love bike culture. I'm all -- you know, I'm all about it. But how can I not be in a mild state of panic about what is going to visit your community?

DANIEL AINSLIE, CITY MANAGER OF STURGIS, SOUTH DAKOTA: Well, of course there's concern I think for everyone. There's a lot of concern for a lot of our residents here. But really what we're trying to do is be as proactive as possible that really includes trying to encourage a lot of our residents not to take part in the festivities that they usually do.

It's a significant potential. But with that being said, we're trying to keep people away as much as possible. A lot of residents were actually doing all their shopping for them. So, if residents don't feel comfortable going to grocery stores or anything like that being out in the months all the travelers here, we do that for that. So as much as possible we're trying to make it as easy as possible for our residents to be able to stay at home where it's safe.

CUOMO: All right. So, I got you on the 7,000. That's actually pretty cool. It will be interesting to figure out how you scale up to buy groceries for, you know, anywhere near 7,000 people. How do you do that?

AINSLIE: Yes. We have a lot of city employees. We have a tremendous number of volunteers. Everyone is pitching in. And that's the kind of the western South Dakota way of life. Trying to help your neighbor and everyone is doing that.

CUOMO: Respected. All right. So, then you have this other little problem, 250,000 people who are coming in there who are not going to just necessarily listen to you as locals. What have you done in terms of prophylaxis or protective measures for, you know, this wave of humanity that's coming in there?

[22:20:00]

AINSLIE: Sure, the things we can try to do are to reduce a lot of the activities that cause the mass gatherings. We can only do that inside our city. This event of course takes place way beyond just our city limits.

CUOMO: Right. AINSLIE: But we have gotten rid of all sorts of activities, our military appreciation activities everything else that usually draw thousands of people into a very small crowd. We got rid of all that. So, we're trying to encourage more people honestly to be on their bikes and not riding and not necessarily gather in mass crowds on our streets.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: You should sell masks --

AINSLIE: You know it --

CUOMO: -- that say support the military. And give the money to the local VFW. And how is that been received?

AINSLIE: Well, there's masks available everywhere.

CUOMO: How has it been received?

AINSLIE: You know, I think people are being a lot more mindful than in the past. People are keeping further distance away. But without a doubt we attract a lot of people that are very freedom loving. And there are people that are coming from states that have been heavily locked down for one reason or another. And they're looking forward to coming to a place where they can have their freedom and be in western South Dakota. So, there's inherently some risk with that.

CUOMO: You know, what's interesting about this, is that you couldn't stop it. You don't -- you didn't -- you know, people were starting to bubble up and say, you know, this city manager, this mayor. These guys are dopes. You didn't want it. But you were unable to stop it. Explain that.

AINSLIE: Sure. I mean, as a city we're not able to put up blockades or anything else and keep people from coming in. There's literally nothing we can do to stop it. Especially when you look at that it has eight decades now of tradition of people coming here.

And that was originally what the thought was as we were talking with more and more venues that are next to our community that also host rally activities, and as we saw that really no one was interested in postponing the event for the year. It became very obvious as we were getting e-mails and texts and all sorts of calls from people around America. People were coming. So, we just had to be prepared for it.

CUOMO: I mean, we're seeing footage right now. And there's not a mask in sight. There are a lot -- there's a good amount, I'll say, of Trump signs around and they almost go hand in hand with people without masks. What do you make of that marriage? No mask and supporting Trump.

AINSLIE: You know, I'm going to leave politics to the side. At this point we're just trying to protect our community as much as possible. I think the reality is that there's a lot of visitors who end up coming here and for one reason or another they feel like they've been locked down an awful lot in their local states in their communities and so this is their chance to be free.

With that, we're trying to encourage people to stay apart as much as possible. And also, we have hand sanitizer available everywhere. As much as possible we've introduced regulations for our -- the temporary vendors. But with that, it is obvious that some of the people that are coming here are not, you know, as careful as what of course we'd like.

CUOMO: Yes, I'll tell you what. The opposite of freedom is not a mask. It's sickness. That somebody rides motorcycles and who's been sick, I'll tell you what. I'll take the mask any day of the week.

Well, listen, Daniel Ainslie, good luck. I hope it is as uneventful as possible. I don't want to see anybody there being sick or being hurt. It's a beautiful part of Americana that happens in there for the most part. But this isn't some scary business. I mean, we're not looking for footage of people without mask, it's all over us when we're trying to examine what's happening there. Good luck to you.

AINSLIE: Thanks very much. Stay well.

CUOMO: All right. Now look, the president I'm telling I don't get it. And I rarely say that. If I were he, if you were he, you'd be all over the pandemic. It's all people care about. Instead, where is he? Started the weekend early. He's at one of his golf resorts, because you know, it's not like he needs to be anywhere else.

Or maybe because there are some new polls out that he might actually believe. I've got the wizard of odds here on a Friday night. Don't worry he had nowhere else to be, about what there are in some new poll numbers and why Trump could have reason for hope. Next.

[22:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: President Trump is in bad shape when you look at the polls. Certainly, based on historical political president, you don't see really more than maybe one, two, polling out anything like where he is right now. But I'm telling you, don't count him out. Why?

Because this is a different period than we've lived through before. Things happen quickly. So many of you are so disaffected. There are so little reservoir of any type of hope that one thing is better than another.

He definitely trails Biden in poll after poll nationally. And, yes, in a bunch of key battleground states he's even down in places that he absolutely needs to win. But there is an important upside for Trump. And I mentioned before.

And Harry and I want to flush it out for you now. I think this is really important. OK? We've seen in about the last month of so as horrible as things are, as it's gotten more clear that we're on the wrong course largely because of his inaction, he's not losing ground anymore. Harry Enten, the wizard of odds is here. Now the question that I put

to you is, is he not losing ground anymore because there's only so low you can go? Or is it a sign that maybe perspective on him hasn't bottomed out and there's room for improvement?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL WRITER AND ANALYST: I mean, look, I think the key question -- first of all, let's get the polls on the screen --

CUOMO: Go ahead.

ENTEN: -- and just to give you an idea of what we're talking about. You know, look, he was down 10 about a month ago. Now he's down about eight in the average of polls.

[22:30:00]

And I think what has happened in all honesty, Chris, is that what you saw was a steep decline from about say, mid-May to mid-June right when the protests started after the killing of George Floyd. And what's essentially happened is race relations as an important issue has kind of shifted away. Right?

The protests have kind of quieted down. The press covering it has kind of quieted down. And that was Trump's worse issue. He is very bad on the coronavirus but not nearly as bad on race relation. And the other thing I'll point out is, look, the economy is still in poor shape but it is getting back jobs. So, a slight improvement on the economy. Less focus on race relations. And I think the result that you see is what's on your screen right now.

CUOMO: Let's take a look at it by race.

ENTEN: Right. So, this to me is the most fascinating thing that's going on right now in our political environment. Right? If you take a look at the live interview polls you got what you might expect, right? Trump is winning with white voters. Biden is winning with the African- American and Hispanics.

But what's so interesting is that the big Biden gains from 2016 are actually among white voters which I think again is emphatical with the idea that the protests after the death of George Floyd the killing of George Floyd, what you saw was a lot of white voters who traditionally might have stayed on the sideline you actually saw them out in the protest.

Meanwhile, Biden has always struggled with younger African-American and he also struggled with Hispanics during the primary. But I think the key takeaway here is the traditional political lines that we're so used to might be sort of crossing each other in a way that to be honest we haven't seen in recent political history.

CUOMO: I have to say, the black vote is fundamentally important for Joe Biden. And yes, you know, the president sweating whites is not going to help them. But Joe has to -- he needs an all- in strategy with his base. And if there's attrition there not only is it shocking given the state of play in our society but that's a problem for Biden.

All right. Battleground states. That's all we really should care about. In fact, it's really just about what, 35 counties that we should be looking at really closely in this election. But what are you seeing in the battleground states?

ENTEN: Right. You know, look, the three most important battleground states in my mind are those in the Great Lakes. Right? Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin. Those were part of the blue wall back in 2012. Right? That Trump kind of busted through in 2016.

And I think the key nugget here is look at white voters and white voters without a college degree. That is supposed to be Trump's base, right, in the rustbelt, and what we see a significant movement towards Biden among those (Inaudible). He's actually leading among white voters over all in that group. But we've seen a double-digit attrition from Trump support back in 2016.

So again, I think this is consistent with the national picture and the idea maybe, you know, yes, Biden is losing a little bit of his base. But Trump is losing even more of his especially in places he cannot afford to lose.

CUOMO: How good are the poll's margin of error where --

(CROSSTALK)

ENTEN: Yes. This, to me, is really interesting. You know, I spend my days in spreadsheets. You spread your days working out. I spread my days in spreadsheets. And one of the things that I think is so worrisome to a lot of folks with those state polls weren't necessary all that accurate in 2016.

And what I should say is that, normally the state polls are really good. The average error since 1972 is just plus or minus three percentage points. But there is the potential as there was in 2016 as there will be in 2020 of a large margin of error, the true margin of error, 95 percent confidence plus or minus nine points.

So even when we get to the end, I would never feel so secure if I were a Democrat even if the lead is as large as it is right now. Strange things do in fact happen.

CUOMO: Biggest X factor for you. And then I have a little bit of a different question for you. What is the biggest factor to watch between now and the election that could make the biggest impact?

ENTEN: I mean, look, it's coronavirus. I don't even --

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Why?

ENTEN: I don't think --

CUOMO: Why isn't Biden saying something kind of like what he said whatever it was today or yesterday about how Latinos are much more diverse a community than blacks.

ENTEN: I mean, look, obviously. But here's the thing. Both of the nominees are not exactly say, Sophocles or Paraclete of any of the Greek guys who really know how to speak. that's not what they are. I'm not that either. And the fact is we saw Joe Biden run for how many months in the primary saying strange things every day that weren't necessarily couth, and didn't really affect him.

I tend to think that those types of things don't necessarily matter. What people care about is whether or not they can carry on their everyday lives and as normal a fashion as possible. And if coronavirus cases as are large -- as are large on election day as they are right now. I'm not really quite sure that Trump can pull it off.

CUOMO: I don't think it's just the pandemic. Because I actually think that there's a little bit of like everything else, fatigue with the pandemic. I think it's schools. Schools, you know, you're still a young guy. But in the family game, your kids, their safety, their connection to your ability to do what you need to do for them most of the time is everything. The school picture gets screwed up. I think it's going to have major implications.

Now, you look really put together. You got the bookcase behind you. Your hair is brushed. You got the jacket is on. Do me a favor. Can you move the camera about seven feet off your right shoulder?

[22:35:09]

ENTEN: I know what you want to do. You want me to basically show this.

CUOMO: Yes. Keep going.

ENTEN: Which is all my over here.

CUOMO: Keep going. Yes. That's what I want people to see. OK? You are fake news. Do you understand? You are not a buttoned-up professor. You don't even know the books that are behind you. You don't like them.

ENTEN: No, I have no idea what those books are.

CUOMO: Right.

ENTEN: Are you crazy?

CUOMO: So, you know, you want to take a shot of me about the gym. God forbid, I tried to make myself stronger after almost going down with COVID-19. But I just want to make the full picture of your reality, my handsome young friend.

ENTEN: I'm the nutty professor.

CUOMO: Harry Enten, I love you. Have a great weekend, brother.

ENTEN: Be well, my friend. Happy birthday, buddy.

CUOMO: Thank you very much. You see that? You see, not everything is as it seems.

All right. The man in charge of getting your mail out vows there won't be any slowing down of election material. He has to say that, though. Because we have a president spouting conspiracy theory about mail-in voting. But there are questions about the postmaster general's independence. And controversy from his announcement today, this matters. The facts, next.

[22:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Now as we reported earlier, top Democrats are calling for the inspector general to investigate the U.S. Postal Service. Why? Because the agency announced a number of proposed changes including a hiring freeze. Well, times are tough. Is that the answer? The agency's top official says the changes are needed to cut cost.

But Jessica Dean took a look at what these costs cutting measures could mean for you.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: More changes at the U.S. Postal Service under new leadership from Trump ally and donor, Louis DeJoy. The U.S. Postal Service announced today it will be instituting a management hiring freeze and requesting future buy outs. The moves are exactly the kind of thing Democrats on the Hill have asked the USPS not to do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): I'm proud of the postal workers across America. But they are going to hand tied behind their back with this leadership.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Today, congressional Democrats led by Senator Elizabeth Warren called for the U.S. Postal Service inspector general to investigate operational changes at the USPS.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): We have little faith that they're not trying to politicize the Post Office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: The USPS says the measures were to cut costs. But postal workers and unions claim it's led to a slowing of the mail. And could potentially impact vote by mail in the fall. Something the postmaster general denies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LOUIS DEJOY, POSTMASTER GENERAL, UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE: Despite any assertions to the contrary, we are not slowing down election mail or any other mail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: In their letter the lawmakers say the Postal Service has become a political football and describe the service's response to congressional requests as, quote, "seriously lacking." They also want the I.G. to look into business conflicts DeJoy may have.

DeJoy took the helm of the Postal Service on June 15th. He's the first postmaster general in decades to come to the job without any prior experience working within the U.S. Postal Service. He contributed about $1.2 million to the Trump victory fund dating back to August 2016 according to Federal Election Commission filings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I can't imagine the post office could do it. All of a sudden, they're supposed to be dealing with millions of ballots.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Financials filed earlier this year by DeJoy's wide Aldona Wos who was nominated to be ambassador to Canada also show potential conflicts of interest including a financial stake in UPS, a postal service competitor.

They also show tens of millions of dollars in income and assets derived from holdings in shipping logistics company XPO, which acquired DeJoy's former company in 2014. XPO is a current contractor for the U.S. Postal Service. DeJoy responded to accusations of political influence for the first time publicly, today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEJOY: While I certainly have a good relationship with the President of the United States, the notion that I would ever make decisions concerning the Postal Service at the direction of the president or anyone else in the administration is wholly off base.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: A U.S. Postal Service spokesperson tells me as postmaster general, DeJoy is not required to divest of any particular asset, but if a conflict arises, he may be required to divest if the postal service determines that he cannot recuse himself. But the spokesperson also tells me that DeJoy has followed all ethics regulations. Chris?

CUOMO: All right, Jessica, thank you very much.

I want to play something for you right now. We're going to take a little commercial break. And this is my tease for you to come back. If I were you, I would, here's why.

It is very important that you understand in your evaluation of this president what is fair and unfair about him. What people say about the president it should be measured and tested because people don't like him. People have agendas. People want other people to win.

But what he says himself to people when he doesn't know that the rest of us are listening. Now that can matter. We have tape of him on a hot mic before his press conference. I want you to hear how he describes his situation and what's going on to a group of people in his own words. Next.

[22:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Its Friday night, we're in the middle of a pandemic. You might think that the president would be in a situation room trying to figure out how to get us testing so less of us die. But instead, he's at his golf club in Bedminster.

So why did he suddenly call the press conference? Well, to lie to you about the nature of the coronavirus threat which he really believes is his ticket to winning again, lying to you in a way that actually threatens your children. That's his bread and butter. That's his best play. I think it's terrible. I think there's such a better play for him that's actually the truth and his responsibility. But he doesn't want to play it.

The question is why? I keep asking people. Why is he doing this? Why is he ignoring this? And I don't get a lot of good answers. Right? Why would he take time to talk to you about a B.S. executive order to protect people with preexisting conditions when he knows people like me are going to blow it up.

We already have protection for preexisting conditioning. He is the one trying to take it away. Why would he sign an executive order that means nothing when there's already a law in place that gives something at the same time, he's fighting to take it away? Because he's lying to you. Because he wants to manipulate you and distract you from the desperation of our reality.

[22:50:04]

Now, what is that say about him? Nothing that he doesn't say about himself. He gave us the answer to how he sees where we are right now. And what matters when he didn't know he was being recorded. Or if he did, you know, he is really whacked to Thailand and in a heavy state of Yosemite (Ph).

He was talking to a crowd of true believers before a news conference asking them to come in, you know, more crowd. He was caught on a hot mic. There is no video, but I want you to hear where he is coming from and talking to these people and what matters to him. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Hello, everybody. Hello, everybody. Thank you. So, we are going to do a press conference and I thought you were here, you might as well come in and see. You get to meet the fake news tonight.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: You got to see what I have to go through. And who's -- well, all of my killers are there. Wow. So, you'll get to see some of the people that we deal with every day. It's like a history lesson for your children. Tell your children about it.

But we have a lot of good news about the economy. A lot of good things happened today. Otherwise I wouldn't have a press conference. So that's it. So, enjoy it. And we'll be out in a little while.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: My takeaways. So, you wouldn't have a press conference when we're in the middle of a pandemic and people are desperate for your help unless you had some good news to spin? And then by the way, in that press conference he lied to you about giving you protection.

He is giving you nothing. He is trying to take it and he is refusing to act in a way that we desperately need. I don't care what he says about the media. That's OK. He is free to feel that way and so are you.

But inviting people in when they're barely wearing masks at a time when we're trying to convince people to do it, he never mentioned anything about the urgency of our reality.

It is what it is, Mr. President. It's a pandemic and you are who you are, you don't give a damn.

I'm coming be after this with the final installment in our special series of life lessons. I'm turning 50 this weekend. I'm OK. Next.

[22:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Right I am going to be 50 on Sunday. Thank you so much for making me feel good about it. In truth, I'm not bothered by the age. I've got a lot of other things to worry about right now. I'm building myself back up from where I was before I got sick.

But here is my fifth lesson and I think it's the one that matters most. There are two words that mean everything in life and you have to say them every day and they applied to everything that happens in your life good and bad. Ready?

Thank you. Every day for me is a form of prayer. To me it's about God. For you, it can be whatever you value.

Thank you, God, for my health, for the health of my kids most of all, for another day, for the challenges, for the sickness, for the stress, for the failure, the disappointment, the moments of despair, the darkness, the moments I have had even recently where I was not sure about why I needed to be here.

Why? Because in those moments I was forced to dig deep and find a rationale for my existence and it came in the ultimate reality that I am here for things that are bigger than myself.

I'm not interested in me. I'm not interested in popularity or success. I'm interested in helping other people achieve their best selves starting with my kids, and my wife, my family and the family that I choose.

So, I say thank you when we got hit by an IED in Iraq, the bullets that flew our way, the bombs that we have seen, the deaths, the disaster that I have seen and smelled I have suffered through with families because I know the darkness. And I thank that opportunity so that I can help you face it and help you understand what this world can be about when we're at our worst.

I say thank you for allowing me for whatever reason I have so much more than I deserve. And I don't deserve it. I'm not special. I'm not unique. There's nothing about me that entitles me to anything more than anybody else.

I'm flawed and too often fixed in those flaws. So, I say thank you for allowing me a life of opportunity and the grace to continue it to this day.

I say thank to you my team that makes this show what you get to see every night that held me up when I was down.

I say thank you to my mother for showing me to this day how to love and how to be loving. I say thank you to my father for continuing to be a light in my life. And a constant source of hope that I can be anything like he was.

I thank my siblings for putting up with me. I thank my brother for being the example that he is to me. I thank my wife for creating everything that is of value in this life. If not for her, there would be nothing that would be worth my while here.

To my kids, to my team, to my friends, everything I do in life that's right, I do because I want to be right for you. And that includes all of you. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.

I may not be the best, I may not be the smartest, I may not get it right, but I swear to you, nobody will ever outwork me in doing the job for you because I owe you.

[23:00:00]

You have given me an opportunity I never imagined I would have, and you have embraced this show in a way that no one thought you would. So, thank you, thank you for giving us the chance. Thank you.