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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Biden And Harris Make First Appearance Together; President Trump Says He Will Eliminate Payroll Tax If Reelected; Over 6,000 Arrested In Belarus After Disputed Election. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired August 13, 2020 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[05:31:21]
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SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D), PRESUMPTIVE VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The case against Donald Trump and Mike Pence is open and shut. Just look where they've gotten us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Sen. Kamala Harris comes out swinging in her first speech as Joe Biden's new running mate.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will be terminating the payroll tax.
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JARRETT: Can he do that? The payroll tax funds Social Security, so what would that change mean for millions of seniors in America?
Good morning, this is EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.
ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans, 31 minutes past the hour.
Let's begin with Kamala Harris laying out the Democratic case against President Trump yesterday in her first speech as Joe Biden's running mate.
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HARRIS: Everything we care about -- our economy, our health, our children, the kind of country we live in -- it's all on the line. We're reeling from the worst public health crisis in a century. America is crying out for leadership.
We're experiencing a moral reckoning with racism and systemic injustice that has brought a new coalition of conscience to the streets of our country, demanding change. (END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Harris and Biden making their first appearance together in Biden's home state of Delaware on the same stage, but socially distanced.
CNN's Jessica Dean has more from Washington.
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JESSICA DEAN, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first look at an historic ticket.
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I had a great choice but I have no doubt that I've picked the right person to join me as the next vice president of the United States of America, and that's Sen. Kamala Harris.
DEAN (voice-over): Newly-named vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris joining the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in Wilmington, Delaware.
HARRIS: I couldn't be prouder to be by his side running to represent you, the people.
DEAN (voice-over): Biden also taking President Trump's criticism of his pick head-on.
BIDEN: Is anyone surprised Donald Trump has a problem with a strong woman or strong women across-the-board?
DEAN (voice-over): After the event, Harris and Biden, along with their spouses, headlined an online fundraiser with grassroots supporters.
BIDEN: Yesterday, we had our best grassroots fundraising day of the campaign, more than double our previous record. And in doing so, we set a single-day record for online political fundraising -- and I think I know why.
DEAN (voice-over): Today's events come just one day after Biden announced his historic choice.
BIDEN: You ready to go to work?
HARRIS: Oh my God, I'm so ready to go to work.
DEAN (voice-over): A new campaign video showed the moment Biden told Harris she was his pick. Ninety minutes later, his decision was announced to the world.
BIDEN: First of all, is the answer yes?
HARRIS: The answer is absolutely yes, Joe, and I'm ready to work. I am ready to do this with you, for you. I just -- I'm just deeply honored and I'm very excited. DEAN (voice-over): Biden's decision to choose Harris follows a months' long vetting process that began with at least 20 women. Over the last 10 days, Biden conducted one-on-one interviews with the final 11 prospective nominees, either in person or over video chat.
HARRIS: The attorney general of the state of Delaware, Beau Biden.
DEAN (voice-over): During her interview, Harris spoke at length about her friendship with Biden's late son, Beau Biden. Harris and Beau Biden served as attorneys general together.
HARRIS: I learned quickly that Beau was the kind of guy who inspired people to be a better version of themselves. He really was the best of us. And when I would ask him where'd you get that -- where'd this come from -- he'd always talk about his dad.
[05:35:13]
DEAN (voice-over): Now with his vice presidential search behind him, Biden believes he has the right person by his side.
BIDEN: Kamala knows how to govern. She knows how to make the hard calls. She's ready to do this job on day one.
DEAN (on camera): Joe Biden making the announcement on Wednesday night that his campaign has raised $26 million in the 24 hours since Kamala Harris joined the ticket. And to give you a little bit of context, earlier in this campaign season that's more than he raised in some months.
Jessica Dean, CNN, Washington.
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JARRETT: Jessica, thank you.
Sen. Harris' speech was a preview of how the former district attorney plans to prosecute the case against the president on the campaign trail.
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HARRIS: The case against Donald Trump and Mike Pence is open and shut. Just look where they've gotten us.
More than 16 million out of work, millions of kids who cannot go back to school. A crisis of poverty, of homelessness afflicting black, brown, and indigenous people the most. A crisis of hunger afflicting one in five mothers who have children that are hungry. And tragically, more than 165,000 lives that have been cut short.
He inherited the longest economic expansion in history from Barack Obama and Joe Biden. And then, like everything else he inherited, he ran it straight into the ground.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMANS: Kamala Harris is not only the first black woman on a major party presidential ticket, she's also the first Indian-American, and the senator's Indian relatives are pleased but not surprised that she was selected.
More now from CNN's Vedika Sud.
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HARRIS: My mother, who raised me and my sister, was a proud woman. She was a proud woman. She was a woman with a heavy accent.
VEDIKA SUD, CNN FIELD PRODUCER: And her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was also the biggest influence in Kamala Harris' life.
HARRIS: The answer is absolutely yes, Joe.
SUD: After the big announcement, Harris' sister wrote in a Twitter post, "You can't know who Kamala Harris is without knowing who our mother was."
In 1958, a precocious 19-year-old Indian, Gopalan traveled thousands of miles from her home and family to pursue a doctorate in nutrition and endocrinology in America. She soon became an active civil rights crusader while studying at UC Berkeley.
DR. GOPALAN BALACHANDRAN, KAMALA HARRIS' UNCLE: Once she went there, she almost felt free. And she took part in politics. She took in -- she used to bring a whole series of leftist literature from Karl Popper. He was a great philosopher.
SUD: In her book, Harris says, "There is no title or honor on earth I'll treasure more than to say I am Shyamala Gopalan Harris' daughter."
Harris' visits to India with her mother kept her connected to her roots. Her grandfather, who had strong views on humanitarian issues, worked closely with officials to reallocate refugees. Their conversations had a strong influence on her.
HARRIS: Those walks along the beach in India really planted something in my mind and created a commitment in me before I even realized it. It has led me where I am today.
SUD: Harris' maternal uncle, Gopalan Balachandran, who lives in Delhi, tells us how the senator danced (ph) to her amma -- which means mother in Tamil -- for guidance, even after her death.
BALACHANDRAN: I don't have to tell her make your mother proud. She's already telling me everything that I do, I ask myself, would amma approve of this?
SUD: Kamala, in Hindi, means lotus flower and is an important symbol in Indian culture, rooted deep in the bottom of the river -- very similar to Harris' Indian identity, which she wears on her sleeve.
Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.
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JARRETT: Vedika, thank you so much.
Watch CNN's special live coverage of the 2020 Democratic National Convention for all the biggest moments, the most important speeches, and insight on what it all means for Joe Biden and the future of the Democratic Party, starting Monday night at 8:00 p.m. eastern.
ROMANS: All right.
The White House released new recommendations for the reopening of schools. They include making sure students and staff understand the symptoms of coronavirus and that everyone self-assesses their own health each day before going to school. Recommendations encourage the use of masks but do not require students, teachers, or staff to wear them. Do these guidelines go far enough?
[05:40:00]
Here is White House adviser Kellyanne Conway.
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KELLYANNE CONWAY, WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: We're the federal government. We're not telling school districts what to do, we're providing guidance and resources to the school districts.
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ROMANS: CNN's Bianna Golodryga has more now on how some schools are adjusting -- even readjusting their plans.
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BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST (on camera): Students at North Paulding High School will be finishing this week fully online. The Georgia school made famous after this photo went viral has announced plans for a hybrid model of instruction beginning next week. At least 35 cases of COVID-19 have been reported at the school since it reopened last week.
In Cherokee County, Georgia, 59 reported COVID-19 cases have led to more than 1,100 students, teachers, and staff members to go into a two-week quarantine, affecting more than a dozen schools.
And, New Jersey's governor, Phil Murphy, signed an executive order clearing all schools and universities to open for in-person instruction in the fall. Those schools that cannot meet all safety and health standards will begin with all-virtual learning. All schools will have the option to fully start online but will have to first submit a plan explaining why. It's a reversal from a previous plan saying that all schools must provide some in-person instruction.
The announcement comes following a lot of pressure from the state's powerful teachers union and after decisions from two of the state's largest school districts, Jersey City and Elizabeth, to offer only virtual instruction.
You'll recall the state had been one of the hardest-hit back in the spring but now has a positivity rate of just under one percent -- Christine and Laura.
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JARRETT: Bianna, thank you.
This morning, Spain is, once again, a major coronavirus hotspot with the worst infection rate in Western Europe. More than 1,400 new cases recorded in the latest daily count.
Let's go there live and bring in CNN's Al Goodman. Al, any sense of what's driving this latest round of outbreaks?
AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Laura.
Well, six weeks after lifting the nationwide lockdown, which had slowed down the coronavirus last spring, Spain, as you say, has got the highest number of cases across Western Europe -- some 330,000 cases in Spain -- higher even than in Britain.
Some 600 outbreaks across Spain, but a top government health official says it's still too early to talk about a second wave. Yet, the number of new coronavirus patients in hospitals and in ICUs is on the increase, even from earlier this month.
Now, officials say these outbreaks are mainly due to young people at drinking parties in nightclubs and outdoors; large family gatherings, like weddings, where people are not wearing masks and getting affected; and among seasonal farmworkers who live and work in close quarters.
And also, now it's the 17 regional governments in Spain which are battling against the coronavirus, each making their own rules. So here in northwestern Spain, in Galicia, the regional government has just issued a ban on smoking in public places unless there is proper social distancing. Some other regions also plan to follow suit.
Back to you, Laura.
JARRETT: All right, Al Goodman, in Spain. Thank you so much.
ROMANS: All right.
President Trump wants a permanent change to how Social Security is funded. His latest campaign promise is eliminate the payroll tax.
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TRUMP: And then the payroll tax -- we'll be terminating the payroll tax. After I, hopefully, get elected, we'll be terminating the payroll tax. So that will mean anywhere from $5,000 to even more per family. And also, great for businesses and great for jobs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Now, the president has said everyone wants a payroll tax cut, but a number of Republicans have pushed back on the idea and most Democrats do not support it. The president has said he would make that tax cut permanent. Of course, that's the purview of Congress but the president, now twice, has grabbed onto that third rail of politics proposing changes to Social Security right before an election.
When asked how he would pay for Social Security if the payroll tax was eliminated, Trump claimed we're taking it out of the general fund. Now, Congress has done that before -- replenished the Social Security and Medicare funds with general revenues after a temporary payroll tax cut back in 2011. But now, this general fund just incurred $3 trillion of debt to rescue the economy during the pandemic.
And already, this is an ad -- a Biden ad in Florida because seniors do not like to hear that funding for Social Security is going to be changed without any kind of broader reform plan and the like.
And I was just checking, Laura, Joe Biden's stance here. He wants to actually expand the payroll tax to pay for Social Security -- expand it to people who earn more than $400,000 a year. So, tax rich people 12.4 percent Social Security -- payroll tax to shore up funding for Social Security; not terminate the designated funding for Social Security.
JARRETT: That's an important fact-check there as Trump has tried to mislead the public on that.
Well, a police officer saves a man from a speeding train with just seconds to spare.
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We'll show you the incredible rescue, next.
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JARRETT: Welcome back.
Authorities in Belarus say 6,000 people have been arrested and one person was killed in the violent aftermath of President Alexander Lukashenko's disputed reelection. One independent monitoring group says his now-exiled opponent actually won in at least 80 polling stations across Belarus.
Frederik Pleitgen joins us live from Minsk. Fred, we understand you just interviewed one of the main opposition leaders in Belarus.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I certainly did, Laura. And one of the things that we have to see here in Belarus -- you can see right now, is that the opposition is still coming out and going out on the streets. And, guys, it is really courageous women who are leading the charge.
This is a march of women holding up flowers, as you can see. And that noise you hear is people honking in support.
[05:50:00]
This is the new way that the opposition is doing things because of that crackdown. Because thousands of people have been arrested, have been beaten up and put in jail, they're doing this kind of decentralized action to try and get away from security forces.
And you're absolutely right, the leaders of the opposition movement are also women. All of them, except one, have fled the country. Her name is Maria Kolesnikova, and she says she believes that they will win. Here's what she said.
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MARIA KOLESNIKOVA, PROMINENT BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION FIGURE: We know that we are together and we know that together, we are very strong and we are able to say stop it -- stop this violence. Stop this disrespect of a Belarusian nation. And I feel me not alone and I know it's a very difficult time for me personally and for all Belarusians, but when we're together we can run it and I'm sure we will get to the victory.
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PLEITGEN: So there you have it. The opposition saying that it's not going to back down. Of course, Alexander Lukashenko, so far, saying he's not backing down.
European countries already threatening sanctions against Lukashenko because of the oppositions being exiled and because of the crackdown that's going on. The opposition, however, saying it might take a while but they still believe that they are going to prevail and that there will be change in Belarus, guys.
JARRETT: All right, Fred. Thanks so much for being on the ground there for us.
A police officer in the central California town of Lodi being called a hero for pulling a man in a wheelchair off the train tracks just seconds before the engine blasts through the crossing.
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DISPATCHER: Go ahead, 191.
ERIKA URREA, POLICE OFFICER, LODI, CALIFORNIA: I'll be with the male stuck on the tracks, trying to get him out.
Can you get up? Yes, get up, get up, get up, get up.
(Train whistle blowing)
URREA: 191, I need an ambulance now. (END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: You can see the terrifying moments captured on Officer Erika Urrea's body camera there. Officials say Urrea noticed the man was stuck as the crossing arm came down. She jumps out of her patrol car and runs toward him, dragging him off the tracks just in time as the train wheels missed his feet by one or two inches.
The 66-year-old man did suffer a leg injury, we're told, and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
ROMANS: Wow, that heroism and that quick thinking from her, just amazing. Whoa, it always gives me the chills.
All right, let's get a check on CNN Business this morning. First, a look at markets around the world. A mixed performance as Asian markets close, and European shares have opened slightly lower here.
On Wall Street, futures at this hour looking like -- oh, I don't have it. OK, I can't tell you.
But I can tell you that they did close higher Wednesday. The Dow finished up 290 points, the Nasdaq closed two percent higher, and the S&P closed up 1.4 percent. That's almost up to the February record it needs to beat an all-time high.
Investors are waiting for new unemployment claims data. Another 1.1 million Americans are expected to have filed for first-time benefits last week.
Stein Mart is the latest retailer to file for bankruptcy. It's 112 years old. It blamed its failure on the pandemic and changing consumer habits.
This filing was not a surprise. In June, Stein Mart said it had substantial doubt it would continue to operate for the next year. It plans to close most of its 300 stores with liquidation sales starting immediately. Stein Mart employs more than 8,000 people.
A welcomed surprise at the grocery store. The cost of food is slightly down. New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows food prices fell in July, the first decrease since April of last year. Food and home prices fell 1.1 percent.
You know, grocery bills, as I'm sure you've noticed, were rising during the pandemic as demand surged. Meat prices finally fell after soaring in May and June. Beef and veal prices fell eight percent, pork prices down three percent, and 2.6 percent for chicken.
But one type of meat got more expensive -- hot dogs. Hot dog prices jumped 2.4 percent in July. Must be a seasonal thing, grilling the hot dogs for the kiddos.
JARRETT: Yes, just trying to do anything to keep your kids happy right now.
ROMANS: Right.
JARRETT: Well, finally, you might have noticed some people struggling with the first name of Joe Biden's new running mate, so here's a friendly reminder on the correct way to pronounce it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE CHILD 1: It's not Cam-el-uh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE CHILD 1: It's not Kuh-Mahl-uh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE CHILD 2: It's not Karmel-uh.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE 2: It's Kamala.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE CHILD 3: Kamala Harris.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: That's from a campaign video Harris posted back in 2016 when she was running for the Senate.
Harris, herself, has said it's Kamala, like the punctuation mark. That should be easy enough to remember for the next couple of months as we go through the campaign slog. Hopefully, people will learn to get it right.
ROMANS: And it means lotus flower, which I think is kind of beautiful and poetic. My middle name is Camilla, so I have to stop -- the first few months I was saying her name, I had to kind of stop and remind myself it's not Camilla, it's Kamala.
[05:55:00]
JARRETT: Comma.
ROMANS: Thanks for joining us, everybody. I'm Christine Romans.
JARRETT: I'm Laura Jarrett. "NEW DAY" is next.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jill Biden and Kamala Harris making their debut as the Democratic ticket.
BIDEN: I have no doubt that I picked the right person to join me as the next Vice President of the United States of America.
HARRIS: It's all on the line. America is crying out for leadership.
GOLODRYGA: With classes set to begin imminently in districts across the country, school board meetings have become increasingly contentious. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The road to reopening sports, schools, and the
economy rise in dramatically reducing rates of infection in the community.
DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: For the war that we're in against COVID, wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands, and be smart about crowds.
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ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
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