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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Democrats Tear Into Trump; Schools Struggle With In-Person Classes; Belarus Protesters Call for President to Leave; U.S.-China Naval Confrontation in the South China Sea. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired August 18, 2020 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:17]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY: Let me be as honest and clear as I possibly can, Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The former first lady going all in on night one of the Democratic convention, but a woman outside the political arena may have had the most impactful moment of the night.
LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: And the head of the White House Coronavirus Task Force admits U.S. lockdowns could have been stronger. Now, a major American university is forced to stop all classes on campus.
Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.
ROMANS: Good morning. And I'm Christine Romans. It is Tuesday, August 18th, it is 5:00 a.m. in New York. 11 weeks to the election.
And Democrats launching their opening salvo against President Trump. Night one of the Democratic National Convention ran the ideological gamut featuring Democrats of all stripes and several Republicans casting a wider tent, maybe the most powerful speech coming from a woman who lost her father to COVID-19.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTIN URQUIZA, LOST FATHER TO COVID-19: Dad was a healthy 65-year- old. His only pre-existing condition was trusting Donald Trump and for that, he paid with his life. The coronavirus has made it clear there are two Americas, the America that Donald Trump lives in and the America that my father died in. Enough is enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: Democrats are trying to use this socially distanced convention to highlight the character of the party's choice to take on Trump. The night included pre-produced video with a short discussion on racial justice led by Joe Biden and a video highlighting the rail- commuting former senator's relationships with Amtrak's workers. The agenda capped with sharp closing arguments of the president's failures, including one from former First Lady Michelle Obama.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny is in Delaware for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Laura, it was the speech from former First Lady Michelle Obama that captivated the country on Monday night, during the first night of the Democratic National Convention. Certainly an unconventional convention held virtually across the country, no one gathering in one spot because of coronavirus.
But it was the speech from Michelle Obama. The words reverberated and resounded.
OBAMA: Let me be as honest and clear as I possibly can, Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country. He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us.
It is what it is. You simply cannot fake your way through this job. As I've said before, being president doesn't change who you are, it reveals who you are. Well, a presidential election can reveal who we are too. If you think things cannot possibly get worse, trust me, they can and they will if we don't make a change in this election.
ZELENY: We have never heard a former first lady speak in such direct, overt political tones against the sitting president. She implored in perhaps only a way that she could. She's not a politician by trade, simply implored voters to turn out and pay attention and vote in this election. Senator Bernie Sanders also delivering a very strong speech, calling on progressives who supported him or other candidates in the primary to get behind Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, said now is not the time for differences, now is not the time for disunity, elect Joe Biden and then work on progressive ideas.
So, it was an evening certainly unconventional but the speeches just ran the gamut of ideology. And now, the second night of the convention is going to be from Jill Biden. She'll be delivering the speech from the school in Delaware where she's a long time school teacher herself. Bill Clinton will also be delivering remarks. This is all building up to Joe Biden accepting the nomination here in Wilmington on Thursday -- Christine and Laura.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JARRETT: Jeff, thank you for that.
The country's experiment with reopening schools amid this pandemic is seeing some major complications already. At least 17 states that started in-person classes have now been forced to retreat on those programs because of coronavirus outbreaks. The latest and most prominent example, UNC-Chapel Hill where 19,000 undergrads will no longer come to class on campus after about 130 students tested positive in the first week since classes began.
[05:05:00]
ROMANS: But the UNC's student newspaper summing up the situation one we can't say out loud. COVID clusters illustrate the difficulty of bringing young people together during the pandemic. New clusters also emerging at Colorado College and highs schools in Nebraska and Florida. Florida, a state where the death toll has doubled in a month. Fort Brayden School in Tallahassee has lost three staff members to COVID but is still preparing to open to 450 students on August 31st or face losing its state funding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMBO JACKSON, PRINCIPAL, FORT BRADEN SCHOOL: Our local school district here has done a great job faced with the statewide mandate or lose funding. I think it comes to about 182 million for our particular district that we would be basically bankrupt if those funds were pulled.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: One state where classes were scaled back is Oklahoma and the Annual Wheat Stock Music Festival is set to bring thousands to Stillwater, Oklahoma, Thursday. That's a slight protest from the mayor who's concerned about an added strain on local hospitals.
Meanwhile, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator is looking back on the early days of the pandemic in the U.S. and she says she wishes restrictions had been tighter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. DEBORAH BIRX, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE COORDINATOR: I wish that when we went into lockdown we looked like Italy, but when Italy locked down, I mean, people weren't allowed out of their houses. Americans don't react well to that kind of prohibition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: As more students head back to school, health experts see a concerning trend, less testing as positivity rates surge. In other words, COVID-19 is still spreading rampantly but there's less testing to find and isolate the cases. 15 states conducted fewer tests this past week compared to the previous one, yet the rate of positive tests is higher than 30 states.
JARRETT: All of this as New York is reporting its lowest positivity rate since the crisis begun. The governor of New York announcing that gyms can reopen next week at 1/3 capacity, and guess where this is? Yes, Wuhan, China. It was Ground Zero for the pandemic. Now after one of the world's strictest lockdowns, thousands gathered at Wuhan's water park over the weekend for a music fest as concerns over the virus proceed. Just amazing to see those crowds. ROMANS: Yeah, it really is, after such strict lockdowns. Now on the
other side of it, we hope.
Now, President Trump launching his most intensive campaign swing since the pandemic, sowing doubt over the election with renewed conspiracy theories about the Postal Service. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has agreed to testify before Congress next week. Democrats say his new policies are slowing down service ahead of the surge of expected mail- in voting. Even the Republican attorney general in the critical swing state of Ohio is calling for President Trump to delay changes at the Postal Service.
JARRETT: Monday, the president asked, so who's going to collect the ballots and what might be done to them prior to tabulation? All of the rhetoric is weighing on American postal workers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK DIMONDSTEIN, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN POSTAL WORKERS UNION: There's a lot of dismay. Now, postal workers are extremely dedicated serving the people of this country. These policies will have a huge impact.
Mail is being delayed. Mail is slowing down and of course to us that drives business away, drives more revenue away and it's troubling on every front.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: President Trump denied encouraging the postmaster general to slow down the mail Monday. That, of course, despite saying just last week that he opposes additional funding for the postal service to aid mail-in voting. The House is set to return Saturday to vote on a $25 million deal for the Postal Service, despite the president's objections.
ROMANS: All right. In the middle of the pandemic, the S&P 500 is flirting with record highs, but there are some signs leaders in corporate America are cautious about how long this rally will last. New data shows so-called insiders have dumped more than $50 billion worth of stocks since the beginning of May. August on track to be the third month where insiders selling exceeded $50 billon. That's the pace not seen since 2006.
The pace of selling could be a warning sign for the booming market. Mark Shaken, founder of Shaken Analytics, says insiders may be looking at stocks and saying the market has gotten way ahead of itself. No one knows why insiders are selling. Insiders have to document when they buy and sell stock, but they don't have to say why.
But a lot of folks pointing out the rally in the stock market over the summer and the reality, Laura, on the ground, which is millions of people out of work, a pandemic and uncertainty and just noting the disconnect between what people feel and what investors are enjoying.
JARRETT: And what's happening in Washington, of course.
ROMANS: Right.
JARRETT: Still ahead, here's a re-election message for you. No new elections until you kill me. An empathetic defense by the president of Belarus. His back is against the wall at home, but pressure from abroad lacks a critical voice.
CNN is live in Minsk.
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[05:14:05]
JARRETT: Welcome back.
The long time leader of Belarus says that protesters demanding new elections would have to kill him first. Global condemnation of the regime is growing with two notable exceptions, Russia's Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen is live for us in Minsk.
Fred, what's the latest?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Laura.
Well, the opposition here is keeping the pressure up on Alexander Lukashenko. You've already had several industries here in this country essentially walk out, including the backbone of this country's economy, which is the heavy industrial sector. That's where Alexander Lukashenko usually has a lot of his supporters. But even they seem to reject him when they try to speak to them.
Here's what we're seeing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Belarusians banding together to oust Alexander Lukashenko. These are industrial workers supporting state media workers on strike, saying they're fed up with untruthful reporting.
[05:15:06] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I've decided to quit because many of my friends ended up locked in prisons and tortured. These are not people I read about, these are people I know personally.
PLEITGEN: The journalists want to finally report on the massive opposition protests that are bringing hundreds of thousands to the streets and tell the truth about a brutal crackdown and thousands of arrests and reports of torture after last Sunday's election which the opposition said was rigged.
(on camera): The opposition has called for a general strike here in this country, and that means that many factories are also walking off. They say that pressure is not going to stop until Alexander Lukashenko cedes power and also allows for a new election. (voice-over): Lukashenko's answer, a clear no.
My response to this, he said, we held the elections, and until you kill me, there won't be any new elections.
Lukashenko tried to speak at one factory but was booed. Workers yelling: Get out.
Many Belarusians fear Lukashenko might be trying to drag Vladimir Putin into invading Belarus. Lukashenko falsely claimed NATO is amassing forces at Belarus' borders, the alliance has denied that.
And Lukashenko says the protests in Belarus are a threat to Russia as well.
But while Putin has said he would help if needed, so far, there are no signs he has any interest in moving his army into Belarus like he did in Ukraine in 2014.
While European leaders have strongly condemned Lukashenko, weaker comments from President Trump.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's a terrible situation, Belarus. We'll be following it very closely.
PLEITGEN: And but for many Belarusians, there is no turning back. They vowed to continue their action until they finally get free and fair elections.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN: And, guys, that really is the question here in many people's minds, is what exactly is Russia's next move going to be? Again, the U.S. really not a factor in trying to come to terms with all this diplomatically. Meanwhile, the Europeans not waiting for Washington to make a move today. There is going to be a phone call between Angela Merkel of Germany and Vladimir Putin to try to at least make some diplomatic head way in all of this, Laura.
JARRETT: All right. Fred, thank you so much for being there for us this morning.
ROMANS: All right. One of the biggest disputes between the U.S. and China is over the South China Sea. Now, for the first time in two years, CNN has obtained footage from a reconnaissance plane over the disputed waters. What it shows and why it matters, next.
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[05:22:05]
ROMANS: The U.S. finalizing the sale of dozens of F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan. The move is certain to increase tensions with China. The two countries already sparring on issues including Huawei, trade, Beijing's territorial claims in South China Sea.
CNN's Ivan Watson has covered that extensively. And he joins us with a new first-hand look.
What have you got, Ivan?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Let me just mention, you're right. China's foreign ministry has criticized that announced sale of 66 F-16s to the self-governing island of Taiwan, saying the sale would, quote, seriously damage China's sovereignty and security interest.
And there's also another area of frictions, that's the South China Sea. That's where both the U.S. and Chinese militaries have been engaging in shows of force.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON (voice-over): Final preparations before takeoff. Rare footage of U.S. Navy Air crew flying a mission over the South China Sea last week.
This aircraft bristles with high power scopes to conduct surveillance.
CDR. MIKE STEFFENS, U.S. NAVY: We're serving as the eyes and ears patrolling ahead of the force closely monitoring our adversaries.
WATSON: The adversary here is China and it's not long before a Chinese voice calls out over the radio and tells the U.S. plane to leave.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Depart immediately. Depart immediately.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: United States military aircraft conducting lawful military operations in international air space.
WATSON: I witnessed similar challenges two years ago on a different U.S. Navy flight over this increasingly tense region. At least seven different governments have competing claims to parts of the South China Sea, but Beijing claims virtually all of the sea for itself. To cement its claim, China embarked on a massive island building project, constructing runways and radar stations on what had been reefs and atolls.
Last month, the Trump administration declared Beijing's position illegal.
MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE: We rejected China's unlawful claims in the South China Sea once and for all.
WATSON: The Defense Department says it has stepped up deploying warships and planes on what it calls freedom of navigation operations through the sea, prompting Beijing's top diplomat to accuse the U.S. military of trying to destabilize the region.
WANG YING, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): In the first half of this year alone, the U.S. military aircraft (INAUDIBLE) more than 2,000 times.
WATSON: But it's not just the U.S. that's challenging China's territorial claims here.
Late last year, Indonesian ships faced off against Chinese vessels.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are in Indonesian waters, sir. Please move away and go back to your territory, sir.
WATSON: Indonesia deployed fighter jets to an island that it controls.
[05:25:00]
CDR. FAJAR TRI ROHADI, INDONESIAN NAVY: Any possible conflict that's affecting to our territory or regional stability, yeah, we will protect our interests -- national interests.
WATSON: Meanwhile, other countries like Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines growing increasingly assertive against Beijing's maritime claims.
The Philippines building up one of its own islands while the commander of the Philippines Navy warns about alleged Chinese provocations on the high seas.
VICE ADMIRAL GIOVANNI BACORDO, PHILIPPINE NAVY: The first one to fire the shots losses public support. And I'm sure they want us to take the first shot, but we will not.
WATSON: But so many navies operating in such close quarters, there's growing risk of a first shot that could trigger a wider conflict.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: And the more warships and war planes you have bumping up against each other in this congested area, that just a massive amount of the world's shipping also happens to move through, the more chance you have of something going wrong, an accident that could trigger a wider flash point. It's not just between the U.S. and China. The other navies and coast guards are also bumping up against each other. Last April, the Chinese coast guard sank a Vietnamese fishing boat.
And just yesterday, Malaysia's coast guard has some kind of a clash with two Vietnamese fishing boats and ended up killing one Vietnamese fisher man and detaining 18 others in whatever kind of clash that was that took place on the high seas. It is a tense region -- Christine and Laura.
ROMANS: Just a tinderbox.
All right. Thank you so much for that, Ivan Watson -- Laura.
JARRETT: All right. Still ahead, Michelle Obama with a withering takedown of President Trump like no former first lady ever before. But maybe the most powerful speech of the night came from a woman who lost her father to coronavirus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) URQUIZA: Dad was a healthy 65-year-old. His only pre-existing condition was trusting Donald Trump, and for that, he paid with his life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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