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New Day
Democrats Officially Nominate Joe Biden for President; Postal Service Backs Off Changes, But Critics Say Damage is Done; More Than 300 Florida Students Quarantined Amid Outbreak. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired August 19, 2020 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Delaware is proud to cast its 32 votes for our favorite son, Joe Biden.
[05:59:27]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When my daughter was murdered in Parkland, Joe Biden called to share in our family's grief.
JILL BIDEN, WIFE OF JOE BIDEN: How do you make a broken family whole? The same way you make a nation whole. Love and understanding.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Masks and social distancing having an impact. The situation not as encouraging on college campuses.
REV. JOHN I. 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 VIDEOTAPE)
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 19, 6 a.m. here in New York.
This morning, cast all presumptions aside. Joe Biden is now the Democratic Party nominee for president, and the nomination process itself made history. This virtual coast-to-coast tour of America, from California to calamari (ph), flexing the breadth and diversity of America at a time when most people can't go out their door. Really unmistakable messaging from the Democrats.
Jill Biden speaking from the classroom where she once taught, to highlight the displacement that so many feel during the pandemic. She focused on love and family and struggle, her own family's struggle. And in some ways, pushed an aggressive normalcy as an anecdote to President Trump. Still more outreach to Republican voters. Former Secretary of State
Colin Powell and Cindy McCain with a testimonial of her husband, John McCain's, friendship with Joe Biden.
Tonight, we hear from former President Obama and the vice-presidential nominee, Kamala Harris. And this morning, we have new details about what they plan to say.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Now to your coronavirus update. Overnight, 1,300 more Americans died from the virus. And hundreds more students at universities across the country have tested positive.
Notre Dame, just the latest university to suspend classes just eight days after reopening. We'll have much more on these developments in a few moments.
But first, let's begin our coverage with CNN's Jessica Dean. She is live in Wilmington, Delaware, with the Democratic convention -- Jessica.
JESSICA DEAN, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Alisyn.
Yes, last night, we saw yet another mark of a modernized convention during a pandemic time with that newly reimaged role call across the country, which people really loved and seemed to enjoy, since none of us have really been able to travel that much. Got to see a lot of the country.
We also heard a lot about leadership, told through the lens of health care and national security, once again seeing a wide spectrum, a wide political spectrum of people talking about Joe Biden and endorsing him. Those final words from the night, though, coming from someone who knows his character best, his wife, Jill Biden.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE BIDEN, Thank you, thank you, thank you.
DEAN (voice-over): Former Vice President Joe Biden, now officially the Democratic nominee for president, following a virtual delegate roll call that took viewers across the country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our next president, Joe Biden.
DEAN: Biden's wife, Jill, offering the night's closing speech, speaking to her husband's ability to unite the country, focusing on his character and faith.
JILL BIDEN: I know that, if we entrust this nation to Joe, he will do for your family what he did for ours. Bring us together and make us whole.
DEAN: Biden spoke to viewers from an empty classroom in a Wilmington high school where she once taught English, striking a note with families struggling with the decision to send their children back to school.
JILL BIDEN: We just need leadership worthy of our nation. Worthy of you, leadership to reimagine what our nation will be. That's Joe.
DEAN: Another top speaker of the evening, former President Bill Clinton, who only spoke for about five minutes, but offered this biting rebuke of President Trump.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: At a time like this, the Oval Office should be a command center. Instead, it's a storm center. There's only chaos.
If you want a president who defines the job as spending hours a day watching TV and zapping people on social media, he's your man. Denying, distracting, and demeaning works great if you're trying to entertain or inflame. But in a real crisis, it collapses like a House of cards. COVID just doesn't respond to any of that.
DEAN: Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke for only a minute and a half to nominate Senator Bernie Sanders, as is traditional for any candidate who passes the delegate threshold. She reached out to the grassroots movement that supported him.
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): A movement that realizes the unsustainable brutality of an economy that rewards explosive economies of wealth for the few at the expense of long-term stability for the many.
DEAN: The night focused on healthcare and national security, with endorsements from across the political spectrum. Former Republican secretary of state, Colin Powell.
COLIN POWELL, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: With Joe Biden in the White House, you will never doubt that he will stand with our friends and stand up to our adversaries.
DEAN: And former Democratic secretary of state, John Kerry.
JOHN KERRY, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE; When this president goes overseas, it isn't a goodwill mission; it's a blooper reel. He breaks up with our allies and writes love letters to dictators. America deserves a president who is looked up to, not laughed at.
[06:05:03]
DEAN: Progressive healthcare activist Audi Barkan giving this plea.
AUDI BARKAN, HEALTHCARE ACTIVIST (through robotic voice): We must elect Joe Biden and put on his desk a bill that guarantees us all the health care that we deserve.
DEAN: In another of the more poignant moments of the night, Cindy McCain spoke in a video about the lifelong friendship that her late husband, Senator John McCain shared with Joe Biden.
CINDY MCCAIN, WIDOW OF SEN. JOHN MCCAIN: They would just sit and joke. It was like a comedy show sometimes to watch the two of them.
DEAN: Another touching moment of the night featured Jacquelyn Brittany's speech to nominate Biden. Brittany is a "New York Times" security guard whose elevator exchange with Biden went viral earlier this year.
JACQUELYN BRITTANY, SECURITY GUARD: I could tell he really saw me, that he actually cared, that my life meant something to him.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: And tonight, the focus will be on governing partners. To that end, we expect to hear from the 2016 nominee, Hillary Clinton, former secretary of state; and former President Barack Obama; as well as vice-presidential nominee, Kamala Harris.
We're told that Harris has been working hon this speech since the day she was selected last week. That her husband, Doug Emhoff, will be with her tonight as she makes history as the first female woman of color to be on a major party ticket -- Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: OK, Jessica, thank you very much for that recap of everything.
And joining us now is CNN political commentator, Joe Lockhart. He's the former press secretary for President Bill Clinton. And CNN political commentator, Karen Finney. She's a former senior spokesperson for the Hillary Clinton campaign.
Great to have both of you here to get your perspectives on last night.
So Joe, I'll just start with you. I mean, you've seen your fair share of Democratic National Conventions. How did last night compare?
JOE LOCKHART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, it's different. It's -- you know, this virtual idea. But in a -- in a kind of strange way, it was more compelling for me to watch.
I mean, it was two hours of built like, you know, an infomercial. I think they made some very important points. President Clinton talked about the responsibility a president takes and what happens when he shirks that responsibility.
I thought John Kerry was very strong on how our foreign policy has fallen apart.
And then there were just -- you know, every 15 minutes, there was another heart-warming story, from "The New York Times" security guard to, you know, just the wonderful video that introduced Jill Biden and Cindy McCain. I mean, I just think it was a great night for introducing Joe Biden in a way that I think Americans hadn't seen him yet.
BERMAN: OK. Talk about that, Karen Finney. Because I want to know about that messaging and why you think the Biden campaign and the Democrats did that. Why have Jacquelyn Brittany, the security guard who rode up an elevator with Joe Biden, say, He really saw me? What's the message there?
KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: That he is a president who sees you. He sees our challenges, the issues that we're facing. He cares about them. And he is someone -- the other story you heard over and over again was, he kept in touch with me. I met him on this rope line, and he gave me his phone number, and you know, he called me, you know, to check on me.
This idea that this is -- that this is a person who cares about everybody, about, you know, regular folks and, you know, someone in an elevator, sees their challenges, cares about them, and that you're -- he's someone you can count on to be there to help work on those challenges. And that he's got plans and ideas and a strategy to address those issues.
CAMEROTA: For a Democratic convention, there were certainly a lot of Republican voices thus far. So let's hear a little bit more from Cindy McCain, wife of John McCain.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCAIN: It was a style of legislating and leadership that you don't find much anymore.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: and when millions of Americans were faced with losing their health insurance, it was Joe's friend who saved Obamacare, by crossing the aisle.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: McCain cast his vote with a thumbs down.
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: John and I have been given several awards about bipartisanship. We don't understand why you should get an award for bipartisanship.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, FORMER REPUBLICAN ARIZONA SENATOR: Thank you for your example in how to remain the same good guy that you were when you first got here. Most of all, for your friendship. My life and the lives of many have been enriched by it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: Joe, it's really interesting to hear these different Republican voices. Obviously, they're hoping, I guess, to sway people in the middle, the independents or the swing voters. But you know, progressives, I mean, you've heard on social media, feel like they may be getting short shrift.
LOCKHART: Yes, listen, I think you -- progressives heard from Bernie Sanders Monday night, so -- and he is the leader of the progressive movement. So I -- I think that they've had their voice.
[06:10:03]
I think the strategy is, over the first couple of nights, to send the message to the people in the middle, using Republican voices, that this is someone who is respected. This is someone who will return dignity to the Oval Office. That -- giving them permission to vote Democrat when they probably
respected, this is someone who will return dignity to the Oval Office. That giving them permission to vote Democrat when they probably haven't voted Democrat before. So I think it's an important voice.
I think Wednesday and Thursday, today and tomorrow, you're going to see a little bit more of what Joe Biden is going to do and a little bit more of revving up the base.
BERMAN: I want to hear a little bit more from Jill Biden, whose talk was emotional. The location was obviously carefully chosen inside the school where she taught for a number of years, and the message. She said, the quiet here is heavy. The quiet in this school is heavy.
To give the sense that all Americans are going through a moment right now in the pandemic and struggling. And then she focused on one of the many Biden family struggles, the loss of Beau Biden and how Vice President Biden reacted to that. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JILL BIDEN: Four days after Beau's funeral, I watched Joe shave and put on his suit. I saw him steel himself in the mirror, take a breath, put his shoulders back, and walk out into a world empty of our son. He went back to work. That's just who he is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: You know, and Karen, if there is a through line between what Jill Biden said and Jacquelyn Brittany said and Cindy McCain said, and you heard again and again and again, it is that sense of feeling an empathy and loss and love from Joe Biden.
And again, is that something that can do more for Joe Biden than focusing on policy? I know they brought up healthcare. I know you had Ady Barkan. I know they had policies. But really, honestly, the focus of the night and of the convention so far isn't policy. In a way, it's personality.
FINNEY: It is. It's character. And it's about -- you know, there's a couple of metaphors around character running through each of these nights.
One is the character of the American people and our country and highlighting, you know, everyday Americans, whether it was, you know, the farmer on Monday night or the beautiful array of Americans that we saw in the roll call, which I think will never be -- ever be done differently again. Wow could you?
To talking about why character matters and why it matters in leadership and it matter ifs you're someone who can step up in times of turmoil and pain and challenge and keep going and do the right thing, or are you someone who as president Clinton alluded to, just crumbles in the face of those challenges?
It matters also, because I think voters, you know, we're cynical. Right? We can read the policy positions, and we want to know that. And I certainly think -- I hope we'll hear more about some of the progressive policy ideas that we have and hear from more progressive leaders over the next couple of nights.
But to be able to say, you know -- I hate -- Joe will recognize this -- I feel your pain, said slightly differently, it really matters, because in part, what's happening right now is people are feeling left out, left behind, but unheard and unseen and frustrated by that in this COVID pandemic and with the economic challenges that they're facing. So I think that's the other part of this message and this metaphor about the importance of character that we're hearing.
BERMAN: I think that's why there was an emotional response to the roll call, seeing 57 states and territories, seeing those places you can't go right now. And also, in a way, normalizing the diversity of America. You see the diversity of America, and then to send the message that this is actually who we are. And it was just -- it was something. It was something to behold.
CAMEROTA: Here's someone else who was enjoying the roll call. There's this behind the scenes picture of -- from Kamala Harris's husband that he took of her watching all the proceedings. And I mean, I don't know that we've ever seen a glimpse of her quite this unvarnished. And so she looks really happy there, and he says, Kamala is loving this roll call. That's the caption.
And so -- so tonight, here are the speakers. Hillary Clinton, Gabby Giffords, we have New Mexico governor. We have Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, Senator Warren. What should we be looking for, Joe?
LOCKHART: Well, I think, as Karen was saying, we're going to see a lot more of what the Democratic Party and what a Joe Biden administration is actually going to do. Whether it be on health care, whether it be on foreign policy, whether it be on economic policy and closing the income inequality gap.
Again, the first couple of nights, I think I was struck last night by the metaphor of Jill Biden saying, and her son -- her son and Joe Biden saying that she made the family whole again, twice. And I think Joe Biden's appeal is, I can make this country whole again.
But tonight and tomorrow, I think it's going to be about how they do it. What steps they're going to take, what policies they're going to pursue. And I think that fills in the last gap for American voters.
CAMEROTA: Karen, Joe, thank you very much. Always interesting to get your take on everything.
FINNEY: Thanks.
CAMEROTA: OK, developing overnight, U.S. Postal Service union leaders expressing doubt that critical mail processing equipment will be put back in service before the November election.
CNN's Sunlen Serfaty is live on Capitol Hill with the latest. So there was this announcement from the postmaster general, but we're not sure what it means.
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. There's still so many questions, Alisyn. And it has done very little to calm a lot of the concerns over what the post office is doing.
They made this big announcement on Tuesday, announcing that they are going to put a halt, until after the election, many of those operational changes that were so controversial and that are slowing down the mail.
Now, those changes that the postmaster committed to included not changing post office hours, saying that equipment and collection boxes will stay where they are, saying that no mail processing facilities will be closed, and that over time will be approved, he says, as needed.
Now, very notably, it is not clear at this point whether that includes a rollback or reversal of any of the changes that have already been made. And that is a big point that many congressional Democrats are already making, as well as the unions. Unions saying, look, we're not clear, and they think it's very unlikely that many of those sorting machines that have recently been removed, they say, very unlikely that they will be returned before election day.
So obviously, a big concern and certainly one thing that congressional Democrats will really drill on when they have a chance to ask the postmaster general questions. A remote hearing up here on Monday. Excuse me, a remote hearing on Friday, on Capitol Hill, Senate homeland security committee. And then, of course, on Monday on Capitol Hill in front of the House Oversight Committee -- Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: That will be very interesting. Sunlen, thank you very much for the reporting.
So hundreds of students at colleges across the country testing positive for coronavirus. Thousands more are now quarantined. What does this mean for your kids and their fall semester?
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[06:21:37]
BERMAN: This morning, more than 320 students in one Florida school district now in quarantine after a coronavirus outbreak there. This comes as multiple colleges and universities across the country reporting outbreaks and having to reverse many of their plans.
CNN's Rosa Flores live in Miami with the latest on this.
Rosa, tell us what's going on there.
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, good morning.
While the spread of this virus is not under control here in Florida and not under control around the United States, testing is also not where it needs to be. And despite the fact that experts have been warning schools and colleges and universities across this country, many of them are still moving forward with in-person instruction.
Although we are starting to see that some universities are reversing course as they realize that they cannot stop the spread of this virus on college campuses.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FLORES (voice-over): This morning, the spread of the coronavirus complicating the move to in-person learning. Michigan State University asking students planning to live on campus this fall to stay home, since the semester will now begin online.
And Notre Dame in Indiana reporting more than 80 positive tests. Undergraduates will attend class remotely for at least the next two weeks.
JENKINS: The objective of these temporary restrictions is to contain the spread of the virus so that we can get back to in-person instruction.
FLORES: And as some grade schools reopen, the virus is also entering the classroom. Over 300 students in Martin County, Florida, are now under quarantine since the school district opened last week.
KYLE RAMOS, STUDENT, MARTIN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT: There is one thing that I value even more than in-person education, and that is human life. How much is one life worth?
FLORES: In Ohio, both high school and college athletics have the green light to move forward.
GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R-OH): We will not have spectators, other than -- other than family members or people very close to that particular child.
FLORES: Los Angeles will begin the academic year online, and the school district is planning on testing its over 600,000 students and 75,000 staff members.
AUSTIN BEUTNER, SUPERINTENDENT, LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT: If we want to keep schools from becoming a petri dish and we want keep all in the school community safe, we need to test and trace at schools.
FLORES: Testing is still a major problem across much of the United States and Dr. Anthony Fauci says delays in results are contributing to the transmission of the virus.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: If it's five to seven days, it almost obviates the purpose of contact tracing. Because that means somebody is out there for five to seven days, potentially spreading the infection. We're trying hard, and we are correcting it in many areas.
FLORES: Even with lower case counts in recent days, experts warn the country is not out of danger yet. DR. LEANA WEN, ER PHYSICIAN, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: Even if
we're at a plateau of 40,000 cases, that is far too high. And if we have young people coming back to class and school, we are going to see surges and outbreaks among young people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FLORES: Here where I am in Miami-Dade County, we've learned from the public school system that 578 employees have tested positive for COVID-19 so far.
The good news is, this county is not reopening for in-person instruction. Virtual learning begins on August 31.
[06:25:00]
This as the legal battle over the reopening of schools across the state intensifies between teachers and the governor. Mediation between these parties was not reached yesterday, John. And so there is a hearing for temporary injunctions set for later this morning -- John.
BERMAN: Rosa Flores is in Miami. Rosa, please keep us posted.
Joining us now is Dr. Carlos del Rio. He's the executive associate dean at Emory University School of Medicine at Grady Health System and a contributor to the NIH Moderna vaccine trial.
Dr. Del Rio, thanks for being with us.
You look around the country. All these schools, colleges, that have come back with at least some in-person classes, are now reporting outbreaks or clusters of sorts.
Now we have the chart we can just put up on the screen here. Iowa state, 175 cases. Kentucky, 160 cases. Colorado College, 155 cases. Notre Dame.
My question is, you know, Notre Dame, they came back a few weeks ago. They tested everybody. And then they still had this outbreak. And now they've had to cancel two weeks of in-person classes, at least.
So how much of this is inevitable? And what does that mean for the possibility of any school opening?
DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATE DEAN, EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT GRADY HEALTH SYSTEM: Well, John, I think there are several things.
No. 1, there clearly is too much community transmission right now, and it is also telling us how difficult to control this virus is. This virus is really hard to control; it's really hard to stop.
And I think that you can do all you want, and you're still going to have, you know, problems. It's going to be very, very challenging.
And testing is clearly important. You know, contact tracing, masks, all the things you can implement will get you maybe, you know, give you the opportunity to try to get through, but it's not going to be easy. And I think we're going to see a lot more outbreaks like this, unfortunately.
CAMEROTA: Doctor --
DEL RIO: We have to do a better job of controlling virus in the community.
CAMEROTA: OK. But is there any -- I hear what you're saying, that if there's community transmission, that a school in that community really can't open. But is there any model that universities can follow whereby it will work for the fall semester?
DEL RIO: Well, that's a good question. I think that, you know, decreasing as much as you can classes with large students; having a lot of social distancing; you know, doing sort of a hybrid online/in- person education; doing the, you know, masking, all those things will clearly make a difference.
But I think the things that are going to happen, where the transmission is going to happen is going to be in the dorms, and it's going to be what happens outside the classroom, not inside the classroom. You know, when there's a fraternity party, when people go to a bar, when people get together for social events.
So the reality is, is you can have all the plans you have for what you can control, but the problem is what you cannot control.
BERMAN: Yes, UNC and Notre Dame doing all the things that you just said they needed to do in order to open safely, and they still have these clusters. They still have these outbreaks.
And Notre Dame, by the way, canceling in-person classes, but telling people to stay in their dorms. Not quite sure how that's going to prevent a spread inside the dorms.
What I think we need to look at going forward -- and I want to be clear. Cases -- daily cases have gone down in America. They are beginning to go down.
Hospitalizations, we have a graphic for that I think we can put up. Hospitalizations in America, well, this tells you number of coronavirus case in the previous week. The green states going down.
And look at the hospitalizations. They, too, are going down now.
But Dr. Del Rio, if we do continue to send young adults back to college, and they start to communicate and spread, is that, in and of itself, going to help to drive that number back up?
DEL RIO: I mean, I think -- I think it's going to. I think we're going to see an increase in cases. I'm -- I'm encouraged to begin to see a drop in number of cases nationally, but even that drop is still from a very, very high number. We still have, you know, many states that are considered red. That
means they have over a hundred cases per 100,000 population. We've got to get down to, you know, ten cases per 100,000 population. If we don't get down to that level, we're not going to be able to do things safely.
And I think it is -- it is getting that number, you know, down to ten, ideally down to five cases per 100,000 population, that will allow opening schools, universities, business in a much safer way.
CAMEROTA: Dr. Carlos del Rio, thank you very much.
BERMAN: We're not there. I mean, we're nowhere near that.
CAMEROTA: Well, I am very heartened by that national map, where you see a lot more green than you did two weeks ago, but we still have 1,300 deaths a day.
BERMAN: Yes.
CAMEROTA: So even with all of the green on that map, we're not -- we're not reducing the death rate.
BERMAN: No. It's a trailing indicator, but 1,300 is still a very high place to be.
Coming up, a terrifying moment on a California highway. A truck flipping on its side because of a possible tornado. We have the story behind this, next.
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