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New Day

Cohen's Tell-All Book; Djokovic Out of U.S. Open; Harris on Coronavirus Vaccine, Police, Russia; Northeastern University Dismisses Students. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired September 07, 2020 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

JOE LOCKHART, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: And this is really important as you look at the election. Most of the people in this country have made up their mind. And the real fight is over you -- sort of a small group of undecided and Trump trying to eat into black and Hispanic votes.

You know, in 2012, Mitt Romney got something like 28 percent of the Hispanic vote. If he had just gotten John McCain's 35 percent, he'd would be president. Barack Obama would have been a one-term president. So this stuff matters.

And on the Michael Cohen book, I think the Hispanic line is the much more important. Trump is still polling at about 24, 25 percent among Hispanics. So I really expect the Biden campaign to hit that going forward because if they can shave points off there, that's a big problem for Trump.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: It is interesting, Margaret, when you look at what is being put out there and how the Biden campaign is choosing to respond. One of the things that we're learning from Michael Cohen, we have this picture of this person who was hired to play the role of former President Barack Obama, opposite Donald Trump, who apparently, in this recorded video, spent time berating the faux-bama (ph), and then finishing off by firing him.

It's -- it's -- it's fascinating, Margaret, and it's so sad at the same time that this would be a focus, that a grown man would hire an actor so they could -- I don't know, fulfill a fantasy of firing them. I mean, I wonder, Margaret, if this will still have an impact, though, sadly, given where we are at this point.

MARGARET TALEV, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I -- I do think that, as -- as Joe mentioned, a big part of President Trump's political strategy when it comes to the African-American vote is about telling white voters in the suburbs that it's OK to stick with him if they voted for him in 2016. And -- and it is about -- it has been, until now, about trying to depress black turnout for Joe Biden.

What we're seeing the Biden campaign doing now, at this exact moment, is seeming to turn -- to focus on that white, college-educated, particularly male vote. And we're seeing it in terms, in particular, of how they're turning to the military given these revelations and accusations and Jeff Goldberg and others reporting. We're now seeing the Biden campaign turn very hard to targeting 50-mile radiuses around military bases in swing states. North Carolina, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona, both with this military message. And I think we'll see some of these other messages come out, as well.

The military vote is a really interesting vote. It has softened for President Trump over the time of his presidency, according to the most recent military times polling. He's underwater in terms of favorability. Biden appears to actually have just barely a slight edge. But there's a huge portion of that military vote, like one out of four military voters, that says they either want a third party candidate or just not going to bother voting at all, and that's a really important vote for both of these presidential nominees to try to capture.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Margaret, I think what you're doing here subtly, and you're too nice to do it directly, is make the case that the faux-bama (ph) picture is a distraction. It's sad. It's weird. It's like the president plays make believe. It might be --

TALEV: Oh, it's shock -- it's a shocking revelation. It's a shocking allegation.

BERMAN: It -- this photo -- yes, this photo is just bizarre, right, and it's make believe and, you know, you think the president plays D&D or something like this. It's just strange.

However, the military thing, it seems to me what you're saying, has a real impact. It really does. It -- it's at this bigger level, shakes the core or what could be or should be a core of the president's support and it has resonance, Joe, because everyone heard the president call John McCain a loser. Everyone did.

LOCKHART: Yes.

BERMAN: Everyone knows you have Jim Mattis and all these other generals who serve with the president, who left with a sour -- beyond a sour taste in their mouth. And you know there are these other people out here who could, and maybe will, come forward over the next 58 days.

LOCKHART: Yes. And again, in a very close election, you're looking for these movements of niche groups, whether it be active duty military, whether it be bigger groups like blacks or Hispanics. And I was struck by looking at Florida. And, in Florida, in 2016, Trump won active military personnel by over 25 points. He's now up by four points. That's the kind of shift that in a close election decides, whether he wins Florida or not.

And I think Margaret points out something important. There's still a lot of very conservative active duty and veterans who are having some trouble getting their heads around voting for Joe Biden, but there isn't really a third party alternative this time. So you may find, you know, that they stay home. And by staying home, that is de facto a vote for Joe Biden.

[06:35:02]

BERMAN: Joe Lockhart, Margaret Talev, thank you all very much for being with us this morning.

TALEV: Thanks, guys.

HILL: A stunning turn of events at the U.S. Open. Men's top seed, Novak Djokovic, is out. What caused him to default and what he's now saying about it. "Bleacher Report" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, the top-ranked player in men's tennis out of the U.S. Open after accidentally hitting a line judge with a ball.

Andy Scholes has more in the "Bleacher Report."

Hey, this was something.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: It certainly was, John.

You know, Novak Djokovic, he was the overwhelming favorite to win this year at Flushing Meadows, but his frustrations getting the better of him and now Novak's going to have to wait to try to win that 18th grand slam title. I'll show you what happened. It was in the first set yesterday of his match after losing a service game, Djokovic, frustrated, firing a ball with his racket, hit a line judge right in the neck.

Now, Djokovic immediately showed remorse, went over to see if she was OK. She was able to walk off the court. Djokovic then speaking with officials and he was told he was disqualified from the tournament. Djokovic then left without speaking with reporters, but did give a lengthy apology on Instagram saying, this whole situation has left me really sad and empty.

[06:40:06]

I checked on the lines person and the tournament told me that thank God she is feeling OK. I'm extremely sorry to have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong.

He went on to say, I need to go back within and work on my disappointment and turn this all into a lesson for my growth and evolution as a player and human being. I apologize to the U.S. Open tournament and everyone associated for my behavior.

Now, the USTA says Djokovic is going to lose all ranking points and the $250,000 in prize money he'd earned at the tournament. He could also receive a fine, John. And, you know, no Federer this year. No Rafael Nadal this year. This certainly was Djokovic's tournament to win. You know, he trails Federer, who has 20 grand slams. Nadal's got 19. Djokovic at 17. You know, this could go down as one of the biggest disappointments in his life and in his career if he doesn't end up passing those guys. BERMAN: I've got to say, I -- I had not seen the apology until just

now. That's a hell of an apology for Novak Djokovic. He didn't try to -- to weasel out of it.

SCHOLES: Yes.

BERMAN: I mean, clearly, it was a mistake, but on the other hand, he lost control of his emotions. And when you see the video, which is -- is hard to find because there's only that one angle, it's awful. I mean, it's awful.

SCHOLES: It certainly is, John.

BERMAN: It goes right to her throat.

SCHOLES: Yes, and, you know, it's a little unlucky, too, because, you know, six inches to the right, six inches to the left, and, you know, Djokovic probably still playing in the U.S. Open.

BERMAN: Well, but it just shows, you need to control your emotions. You need to be better than that moment. And Djokovic knows it. You -- you see that apology from him and he knows that what he did was wrong and he wasn't, at least insofar as that apology goes, arguing with the U.S. Open that he should have been allowed to stay. Wow.

SCHOLES: Yes.

BERMAN: What do you think?

HILL: I -- I was actually really impressed with the apology. You know, I'm -- I'm a big tennis fan, as you know, and I -- I thought -- I think he actually handled himself in that moment well. And I think that's an example, right? We see so many apologies that are not an apology. It's, I'm sorry if I offended you, right?

BERMAN: Yes.

HILL: I'm sorry that you feel bad about it, but I don't really feel bad about it. That was, I am owning it. I messed up. I've got some work to do and I was wrong.

BERMAN: I'm with you. Yes, I was impressed with that apology.

All right, coming up, we have highlights from CNN's exclusive interview with Kamala Harris. Why she says she would not trust President Trump alone on news of a coronavirus vaccine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:46:16]

HILL: Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris traveling to the critical state of Wisconsin today for the first time since accepting the party's nomination. She sat down with our Dana Bash for an exclusive interview, discussing the criminal justice system, Russian interference in the election, and the race for a coronavirus vaccine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): What if a vaccine really is approved before the election? Would Kamala Harris trust Donald Trump's word that it's safe and effective?

KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I would not trust his word. I would trust the word of public health experts and scientists, but not Donald Trump.

BASH (on camera): But do you trust that, in the situation where we're in now, that the public health experts and the scientists will get the last word on the efficacy of a vaccine?

HARRIS: If past is prologue, that they will not. They'll be muzzled. They'll be suppressed. They will be sidelined because he's looking at an election coming up in less than 60 days, and -- and he's grasping for whatever he can get to pretend that he has been a leader on this issue, when he has not.

BASH: Would a Biden/Harris administration support a federal mask mandate?

HARRIS: So it's about a national standard. Everyone should wear a mask. And here's the thing about this, none of us likes wearing a mask. Nobody likes to wear a mask.

BASH: Right, but there's a difference between a standard --

HARRIS: But it's about sacrifice.

BASH: Right, there's a difference between a standard and a mandate. Would it be a federal mandate under the Biden/Harris administration?

HARRIS: It would be a standard. No -- listen, this is not about -- in terms of the priorities of Joe Biden and myself, this is not about punishment. It's -- it's not about big brother.

BASH: But how do you enforce a standard, especially, when, as you know, there are governors who are in -- you know, who just don't agree with that and they're not mandating it on the more local level? How do you enforce that?

HARRIS: But I think that part of the issue here is that we have a president of the United States who made this a partisan issue and made it a political issue.

BASH (voice over): As former district attorney of San Francisco and California attorney general, Harris has a long history on criminal justice issues. In a 2009 book, she wrote, if asked if more police should be on the streets, her hand would, quote, shoot up.

BASH (on camera): Would your hand still shoot up if somebody asked if you would want more -- more police officers on your streets? HARRIS: What I would say now is what I would say then, which is, I

want to make sure that if a woman is raped, a child is molested, or one human being murders another human being, that there will be a police officer that responds to that case and that there will be accountability and consequence for the offender, yes.

I think that Donald Trump and Bill Barr are spending full-time in a different reality. The reality of America today is what we have seen over generations and, frankly, since our inception, which is, we do have two systems of justice in America.

BASH (voice over): Russian interference on behalf of Donald Trump is also a big concern for the Democratic vice presidential candidate.

BASH (on camera): The Department of Homeland Security bulletin said that Russia is trying to amplify claims that mail-in voting will lead to widespread voting fraud and undermine the public's trust in the upcoming election.

Are you worried that Russian interference could cost you the election?

HARRIS: I am clear that Russia interfered in the election of the president of the United States in 2016. I serve on the Senate Intelligence Committee. We have published detailed reports about exactly what we believe happened. And I do believe that there will be foreign interference in the 2020 election and that Russia will be at the front of the line.

BASH: Could it cost you the White House?

HARRIS: Theoretically, of course. Yes.

BASH (voice over): Dana Bash, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[06:50:02]

BERMAN: Our thanks to Dana for that terrific interview.

So tonight we have a new CNN special report. It examines the key moments in President Trump's tenure, including his first critical address to the nation about coronavirus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN: Finally, on March 11th, the day Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson became the first high-profile Americans to announce they had tested positive and the NBA shut down its season, Trump set out to reassure a very nervous nation.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My fellow Americans --

MAGGIE HABERMAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: The president was uncomfortable heading into it.

TAPPER: "New York Times" White House correspondent and CNN political analyst Maggie Haberman.

HABERMAN: The president looked unfamiliar with the material as he was reading it. It contained at least three errors.

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That speech was probably the single most important moment in the U.S. response to the coronavirus, but for all the wrong reasons.

TAPPER: CNN's Abby Phillip.

PHILLIP: It really highlighted that the administration was not prepared to deal with the crisis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right, tonight, CNN will also bring you the story of Joe Biden's fight for the White House. See their triumphs, the Biden's, triumphs, tragedies and their dramatic journeys to a showdown. Don't miss the back-to-back documentary event starting tonight at 8:00 p.m. here on CNN.

All right, have you heard about what happened at Northeastern University? They dismissed, flat-out kicked out students for breaking coronavirus rules, at least for the year, but they're keeping their tuition. More on how colleges are responding to outbreaks on campus. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:51:01]

HILL: Developing this morning, Northeastern University dismissing 11 first year students and refusing to refund the nearly $37,000 in tuition after those students violated the school's coronavirus policies.

"EARLY START" anchor Laura Jarrett joins us now with the details.

Boy, that's a call you don't want to make home to your parents.

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR, EARLY START: You can say that's for sure, Erica.

It's one of the more serious punishments we've seen so far as schools all over the country are struggling to control partying on college campuses. Now, Northeastern University says its staff found a group of students hanging out together in their makeshift door rooms at a Westin Hotel in Boston. They were without masks and in violation of the school's policies. So 11 of those students have now been kicked out of school for the fall semester. And, as you mentioned, the school is keeping their tuition money.

So we're keeping an eye out to see if other schools do the same for similar infractions as this has really become a big issue all over.

HILL: Yes, and the money really makes you sit up and pay attention. Northeastern, though, isn't the only school, as we know, that's dealing with these issues. And there are a lot of areas that experts are now focusing on as coronavirus hot spots because there are more kids going back to college.

JARRETT: So the rate of infections has actually been trending downward in the northeast, where Northeastern University is. But in Iowa and in other places in the Midwest, folks are really still in a bad spot.

In Iowa, in particular, college students seem to be a driving force of these Covid clusters, if you will. In Johnson County, where the University of Iowa is located, cases have more than doubled since the start of August, climbing now to more than 4,000. And despite these surges in cases, there actually hasn't been a corresponding uptick in deaths in these college communities, which is, of course, a good thing. But the worry is that young people will still spread the virus throughout the larger community, potential a dangerous ripple effect of having students back on campus, Erica.

HILL: Yes, I think we're going to keep talking about this for a while. Laura, thank you.

JARRETT: Sure.

HILL: Concerns about politics interfering with a potential coronavirus vaccine. NEW DAY continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Health experts say Covid-19 cases could surge after Labor Day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We saw a surge after Memorial Day. We saw a surge after the Fourth of July. So if that's any indication, we're going to see something similar.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We use Labor Day as a way to take the day off, but, unfortunately, the virus doesn't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Record heat and raging wildfires. More than 2 million acres have burned this year, the most ever.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The intensity of the heat is just crazy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No rainfall, dry conditions, that is just fuel to ignite more fires.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

BERMAN: All right, good morning, everyone. Welcome to this special Labor Day edition of NEW DAY. Alisyn Camerota is off. Erica Hill, with me. I won the Erica Hill jackpot.

HILL: I think I won the John Berman jackpot.

BERMAN: On Labor Day.

HILL: Except that you are making me wear real shoes now and I miss my sneakers.

BERMAN: Oh, thank --

HILL: But, other than that --

BERMAN: The worst part about being in the studio is I have to wear suit pants. I didn't wear suit pants for like five months and it was the best thing ever.

HILL: It was pretty great.

BERMAN: Suit pants should exist.

HILL: Maybe you should bring back jeans and jackets.

BERMAN: I -- I -- I'm all for that. Or khakis. Double-pleated.

HILL: OK, John, we're going to have to have a talk.

BERMAN: All right.

Look, it is Labor Day weekend, a holiday weekend, which is fun, yes, but health experts have looked at these holiday weekends as big flashing danger signs. Memorial Day, Fourth of July, we saw the virus accelerate as people gathered. And we are starting to see some pictures of what people are doing this holiday weekend. We saw San Francisco, people crowded into this party here. That is not something that Dr. Anthony Fauci wants to see, I guarantee it, which is what has people concerned.

So, thousands of cases in all 50 states are now also linked to the reopening of colleges and universities.

HILL: And, meantime, there's new reporting about President Trump putting pressure on health officials for a coronavirus vaccine before Election Day. And now "The Wall Street Journal" is reporting at least three of the companies who are working to develop a vaccine are joining together in an unusual pledge.

[07:00:06]

They're promising not to seek approval until the vaccines has been proven safe.