Return to Transcripts main page

Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Diverse Democratic Voices Nominate Joe Biden For President; Postal Union Doubts USPS Will Reverse Changes; Warnings And Fewer In- Person Classes At U.S. Colleges. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired August 19, 2020 - 05:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:30:18]

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: A powerful testament to the tapestry of America. Joe Biden is officially nominated for president in a first- of-its-kind virtual roll call. We have all the highlights for you.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The postmaster general says no more cutbacks until the elections, but cuts have already been made and there are new concerns they won't be reversed.

JARRETT: And residence halls that resemble hospitals. A dire new warning from one Yale professor as the pandemic forces more colleges to shut down in-person learning.

Good morning, this is EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.

ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans this Wednesday morning. It is 30 minutes past the hour.

And Joe Biden is now officially the Democratic Party nominee for president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, thank you very, very much from the bottom of my heart. Thank you, all. It means the world to me and my family and I'll see you on Thursday. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Votes in the first-ever virtual roll call cast by delegates scattered across the country at seashores and cornfields, bridges, and in front of protest art. Even the process of nominating Biden told a story.

JARRETT: That's right. Another powerful moment came from a well-known health care advocate. Ady Barkan, who did not back Biden initially, delivered a poignant push to guarantee health care to every American.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ADY BARKAN, ACTIVITIST WITH ALS: Even during this terrible crisis, Donald Trump and Republican politicians are trying to take away millions of people's health insurance. With the existential threat of another four years of this president, we all have a profound obligation to act.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: A night marked by speeches from across the political spectrum, including familiar Republican voices.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CINDY MCCAIN, WIFE OF FORMER SEN. JOHN MCCAIN: It was a style of legislating and leadership that you don't find much anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: That's the voice of Cindy McCain, the wife of the late GOP nominee for president and Trump detractor, John McCain. She highlighted the Biden-McCain friendship and the importance of leadership around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Joe Biden will be a president we will all be proud to salute. With Joe Biden in the White House you will never doubt that he will stand with our friends and stand up to our adversaries -- never the other way around.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: And that was longtime Republican and former Secretary of State Colin Powell backing the Biden-Harris ticket as well.

JARRETT: So last night, former President Bill Clinton gave Biden a political boost. And Biden's wife, Jill, added the personal touch, trying to assure voters that only Joe Biden can heal a divided nation.

We get more now from CNN's Jeff Zeleny in Wilmington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Laura, the second night of the Democratic National Convention settled into the virtual convention mode in a much easier way. Some of the old-school methods -- the roll call vote, for example -- really came to life on the screen in ways that they had not in years before.

Democratic officials expressed to me afterward, really, excitement about this seeing it come to life on social media on Twitter -- even engagement just watching the state-by-state roll call.

Largely, this has been a proforma exercise that has happened inside the convention hall. But because of the realities of the pandemic it was taken outside the hall and really showed the tapestry of America -- the Americans that are, indeed -- the Democrats that are going to vote for Joe Biden. So that was viewed by Democratic officials as actually somewhat of a surprising success.

But it was, overall, the humanizing of Joe Biden, really, in speech after speech -- even in some of the toughest speeches from former president Bill Clinton, who had the toughest words yet for President Trump but also words of strength for Joe Biden.

BILL CLINTON (D), FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Joe won't just put his signature on a check and try to fool you into thinking it came from him. He'll work to make sure that your paycheck reflects your contribution to and your stake in a growing economy.

In this job interview the difference is stark. You know what Donald Trump will do with four more years -- blame, bully, and belittle. And you know what Joe Biden will do -- build back better.

ZELENY: Certainly, foreign policy front and center throughout the evening. Colin Powell, the former Secretary of State and, of course, general, giving his full support for Joe Biden.

Yes, he endorsed Barack Obama. Yes, he supported him twice. But he had never appeared before at a Democratic convention -- clearly, a sign this is a different time.

But then the personal story of Jill Biden and her love affair for Joe Biden and their family that was one of the strongest testimonials we have seen at a convention. Standing in a classroom, room 232 of Brandywine High School here in Wilmington, where she used to teach English, telling the story about a nation really growing in pain because of coronavirus. But she talked about what the presidency of her husband would mean for the country.

[05:35:13]

JILL BIDEN, WIFE OF JOE BIDEN: We haven't given up. We just need leadership worthy of our nation, worthy of you. Honest leadership to bring us back together to recover from this pandemic and prepare for whatever else is next. Leadership to reimagine what our nation will be. That's Joe.

ZELENY: And then in the final moments, with the former vice president appearing on stage there next to Jill Biden, his wife, that was clearly a humanizing moment as well.

So by and large, Democratic officials much more pleased by the second night of the convention.

Now, heading into the final two nights, of course, Sen. Kamala Harris will deliver her big address to the country -- really, her introduction of sorts, right here at the Chase Center in Wilmington.

And then on Thursday evening, of course, Joe Biden accepting that nomination for president. He ran more than three decades ago, now accepting the nomination here. His lifelong quest to be president coming closer but, of course, the hard work now is beginning after this convention.

But for now, at least, Democrats breathing easy and really enjoying what the second night of this convention was, seeing so much of America -- Laura and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right, Jeff Zeleny for us this morning. Thanks, Jeff.

Also speaking tonight, Hillary Clinton. Her message will be intensely personal -- do not take anything for granted with this president.

Barack Obama is also expected to make the case that democracy itself is on the line, highlighting Biden's eight-year tenure as his vice president before turning to the importance of voting and the Trump administration's attempts to suppress it.

JARRETT: Some thought that intraparty tensions of the primary season might still be lurking. Rising star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke for just 90 seconds to nominate Bernie Sanders, symbolically, as the 2020 runner-up. That's part of the routine process.

But she didn't mention Joe Biden's name. She later explained her appearance on Twitter, offering Biden her deepest congratulations.

Meanwhile, Democratic outreach to Latinos is already under scrutiny. And yesterday, Biden participated in a community conversation with Latino Victory Project to discuss the need for effective leadership and increasing Latino representation.

ROMANS: All right. New overnight, postal union leaders are expressing doubt that critical mail-processing equipment will come back in service before the upcoming election.

There are still big questions this morning after the U.S. Postmaster General said Tuesday he would suspend a series of operational changes and cost-cutting until after the election. Louis DeJoy says any changes will be put on hold to, quote, "avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail."

Critically, though, he does not address changes that were already made, like taking sorting machines offline. In recent days, mailboxes have also been removed or relocated in a number of states, including swing states like Ohio and Pennsylvania.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH SHAPIRO (D), PENNSYLVANIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: And the facts and evidence on the ground here in Pennsylvania is that they have made specific changes to the way mail is delivered, back in July, that has impacted the flow of mail.

They've got to go and, at a bare minimum, undo what they've already done and make clear that they're not going to take any steps going forward before we're going to take the foot off the gas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: All these changes meant widespread delays and backlogs that have prompted accusations the president and the postmaster general were trying to slow mail service ahead of an election that will see a record number of mail-in ballots because of the pandemic, of course.

There are also real-life implications here. Postal service delays have forced the V.A. to find new ways to deliver medicine in some areas. The V.A. has experienced a surge of mail-order prescriptions during this pandemic because of the lockdowns and restrictions at their facilities.

ROMANS: Even before the post office issue, the integrity of the November election was already a concern. Now the Senate Intelligence Committee has released its bipartisan report on Russia's 2016 election interference going even further than the Mueller report.

The panel's key finding, the Trump campaign's then-chairman, Paul Manafort, tried to share internal campaign information with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian intelligence officer.

The report comes just days after President Trump retweeted Russian propaganda about Joe Biden. The U.S. Intelligence Community recently announced that propaganda was part of Moscow's efforts to denigrate Biden ahead of the November election.

JARRETT: All right.

New coronavirus cases now steady or declining in most of the U.S., including the badly-hit south. It's now been four straight days with fewer than 50,000 new cases. That's the first time since June that that's happened. But the death toll remains stubbornly high -- an average of over 1,000 per day for more than three weeks -- and that's projected to drag into September.

[05:40:01]

ROMANS: Schools still feeling the effects.

This morning, the "Yale Daily News" reports one professor issued a warning to students, be prepared for widespread infections, potential deaths, and be prepared for residential life to look more like a hospital unit than a dorm. Yale does plan to have graduate students and a portion of undergrads back on campus.

JARRETT: Thousands of positive COVID tests already reported at colleges nationwide. Notre Dame says it's suspending in-person classes for just two weeks amid a spike. Michigan State University and Ithaca College in New York also reversing course to start the fall semester remotely.

Meantime, businesses are facing a serious hardship right now. A survey from the New York Fed finds about one-third of New York area businesses won't survive without government support if revenue levels do not improve. ROMANS: Still, a bright spot here. The housing market has been doing very well in the U.S. economy. New data shows housing starts and building permits surged in July as Americans returned to the real estate market. City dwellers are heading to the suburbs partly because of coronavirus, but also because mortgage rates are incredibly low.

Unemployment benefits and stimulus checks have boosted consumer spending. We can see it in retail stocks. Home Depot sales rose 23 percent last quarter as shoppers spent money on DIY projects. Lowe's, Target, and T.J. Maxx report their second-quarter results in a few hours.

Lowe's, like Home Depot, most likely benefitted from customers taking on more projects at home and spending their stimulus money, but economists are worried about whether consumers will continue to spend now that that stimulus money has stopped.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:45:45]

JARRETT: Welcome back.

Youth sports are getting the go-ahead in one state. And could the key to tracking coronavirus be sewage? CNN has the pandemic covered coast- to-coast for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERICA HILL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Erica Hill.

All fall sports, including contact sports, getting the green light in Ohio. Gov. DeWine says more formal guidance will come in the next 24 hours or so, noting that superintendents who requested contact sports be moved to the spring -- that's fine with him, says the governor.

But when he talked about sports, he said sport matters and it makes a difference, providing discipline, order, structure, and also brings joy.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jason Carroll in New York.

New York City's mayor is cracking down on travelers coming in from states on New York's quarantine list. New York City's Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order mandating that hotels and rental companies require travelers from restricted states to fill out quarantine forms before they can get access to rooms. Failure to comply with the order is a misdemeanor and starting this week, fines will be issued for those who do not comply.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: I'm Jacqueline Howard in Atlanta. The CDC and Department of Health and Human Services are launching a

new program to help monitor the spread of COVID-19 using sewage. Studies show that the coronavirus can be detected in feces -- and so, sewage from homes and office buildings can be tested for genetic material from the virus.

In collaboration with federal government agencies, the program will involve state and local health departments submitting wastewater for testing.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jean Casarez.

Pennsylvania has been working with researchers at MIT and are about to roll out a way that you can find out if you were in close proximity with someone later testing positive for COVID-19.

Here's how it works. It's an app that you will install on your phone -- COVID Alert PA. And through the use of Bluetooth technology it will tell you if you were close -- 15 minutes or longer -- to someone later testing positive for the virus.

The app is voluntary. Users' identities and locations are protected, as well as the privacy of the person with the virus. Now, this does not replace contact tracing in Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Thanks for all those reports this morning.

Protests in Belarus show no signs of easing up -- growing pressure on the government to release political prisoners. Now, the opposition leader is speaking out.

Frederik Pleitgen live in Minsk for us with more. Good morning, Fred. What's happening there?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning. And what we're seeing here is that the opposition is still very much capable of bringing muscle to the streets here.

Late last night, they had a protest at Independence Square, which is where the Parliament is. And it brought about 10,000 people on the streets there, again demanding new elections, demanding the release of prisoners, demanding an end to violence. But we're also seeing the Lukashenko regime trying to stage a comeback as well.

I'm actually in front of one of the main tractor factories here in the Minsk area and there's riot police on the scene again trying to stop people who want to support a walkout (ph) from getting to that factory.

And you're absolutely right. At the same time, we also have the diplomatic front heating up as well with Angela Merkel of Germany speaking with Vladimir Putin. The French president also speaking with Vladimir Putin. And, Vladimir Putin speaking with Alexander Lukashenko. The E.U. also has a special emergency meeting on the situation. And the de facto leader of the opposition of this country, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya -- she issued a statement in the English language urging E.U. leaders not to recognize the result of the election and to support the opposition as it tries to promote change here in this country.

Once again, one of the things that we're seeing is that the Trump administration in all this so far, not a factor at all. It really seems to be the Europeans and the Russians who are trying to deal with this. And them, of course, also speaking to the Belarusians as well, guys.

ROMANS: All right, Fred Pleitgen for us in Minsk. Thank you, Fred.

JARRETT: All right, we turn now to California where new evacuations overnight in Santa Cruz -- and those are on top of earlier orders in Napa, Sonoma, Alameda, and other counties. Dozens of wildfires are threatening thousands of homes and businesses. The fires are being fed, in part, by the scorching heat there.

[05:50:00]

At least 37,000 customers are currently without power in the state due to the excessive heat wave. And just hours ago, the state's emergency order was lifted, canceling planned rolling blackouts.

All right. Also new overnight, firefighters are battling a massive industrial blaze in Grand Prairie, Texas. It's believed the fire is at the Poly-America facility, which manufactures and recycles plastic. We will get you more details on this as they come into CNN.

Uber is notifying all of its users in California that service may be suspended by tomorrow. Last week, a court ordered the ridesharing company to reclassify their California drivers as employees within 10 days. Right now, drivers are treated as independent contractors, so they're not entitled to benefits like minimum wage, overtime, and paid sick leave. Both Uber and Lyft are pushing for a referendum to exempt them from that ruling.

ROMANS: One of the two men convicted of killing Michael Jordan's father has been approved for parole. Larry Demery will be released from a North Carolina prison in August 2023.

Demery and co-defendant Daniel Green were both convicted in the 1993 murder of James Jordan. He was killed while sleeping in his car on a highway in North Carolina.

No comment, so far, from Michael Jordan.

JARRETT: A Navy veteran and a hero during the attack on Pearl Harbor has died. Floyd Welch was credited with saving the lives of his fellow sailors at Pearl Harbor. He was serving aboard the USS Maryland when the fleet came under attack.

Floyd Welch was 99 years old. He's survived by his wife, six children, 13 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.

ROMANS: And how's this for an expensive mistake. Citibank claims it wired $175 million to hedge fund Brigade Capital Management by mistake. The hedge fund has not returned the money.

Citi filed a lawsuit in New York on Monday claiming it meant to send $1.5 million in interest payments on a loan. Instead, it wired roughly 100 times that amount and claims Brigade is refusing to return the funds.

JARRETT: Yikes, what a mess.

Well, a California couple reunited with their beloved dog who went missing after a highway crash. Stefanie and Dwayne Lindsay (ph) were rammed by another driver causing their car to flip.

Their dog, Rue, was thrown from the car's rear window. And after an all-out search and appeals on social media, Rue was found 14 hours later some three miles from the crash site. She was slightly injured but we are told all-in-all, she's OK.

ROMANS: All right, let's get a look at Wednesday markets. Taking a look at stock markets around the world, Asian markets are closed now. European shares have opened slightly higher here.

On Wall Street, let's look at futures after a record day yesterday -- more gains. Dow futures are up here.

Millions of people are out of work, stimulus negotiations have stalled, but the S&P 500 hit a record high for the first time since the pandemic began. The S&P -- that average is up nearly five percent this year.

The Nasdaq also hit a record high Tuesday. The Nasdaq is up 25 percent this year.

Corporate America is stepping up to give employees Election Day off to vote. Coca-Cola, the latest to join the "Time to Vote" movement.

Launched in February, it encourages companies to offer paid time off on Election Day or at least make it a day with no meetings. So far, more than 600 companies, including Best Buy, Gap, JPMorgan, Nike, Twitter, and Visa have joined.

OK, would you eat tuna jerky, algae oil popcorn, and pigless pork rinds? 7-Eleven hopes so. The chain known for neon-colored Slurpees and oversized sodas is launching healthy snack brands at a subset of stores.

The products are part of the second iteration of 7-Eleven's Sips & Snacks initiative. It plans to test drive the products in 200 locations in L.A. and San Diego. So, on the west coast you get to try that stuff.

JARRETT: I want to know what a pigless pork rind is.

ROMANS: Algae oil popcorn, yum.

JARRETT: Well, here's another new excuse to have cookies for breakfast, as if you needed one during a pandemic. The Girl Scouts are adding a French toast cookie to their iconic lineup, starting in 2021. The bread-shaped cookies called Toast-Yay! look like miniature slices of French toast dipped in icing. Girl Scout cookie season officially beings in January.

ROMANS: All right.

The unexpected star of the DNC -- we talked about it yesterday -- necklace. The boutique owner who made the necklace work by Michelle Obama tells CNN she has been deluged with orders for this statement necklace -- a gold chain with charms spelling the word vote.

Chari Cuthbert says she started to cry as her phone starting ringing like crazy. Turnaround time for the necklace is usually four weeks, but she added staff and supply to cut that time in half. Yes, she's hiring. That's awesome, right?

JARRETT: It's so great. You know, when you promote lesser-known fashion lines like that you see what happens.

ROMANS: I love it.

Thanks for joining us. I'm Christine Romans.

JARRETT: I'm Laura Jarrett. "NEW DAY" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:59:22]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JOHN CARNEY (D), DELAWARE: Delaware is proud to cast its 32 votes for our favorite son --

SEN. TOM CARPER (D), DELAWARE: Joe Biden.

FRED GUTTENBERG, GUN SAFETY ACTIVIST: When my daughter was murdered in Parkland, Joe Biden called to share in our family's grief.

JILL BIDEN: How do you make a broken family whole? The same way you make a nation whole, love and understanding.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Masks and social distancing having an impact. The situation not as encouraging on college campuses.

JOHN JENKINS, PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME: The objective is to contain the spread of the virus so that we can get back to in- person instruction.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think this was the experiment and it totally failed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It's Wednesday, August 19th, 6:00 here in New York.

END