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U.S. On Verge Of Eclipsing 200,000 Coronavirus Deaths; McConnell Gains Critical GOP Support In Bid To Replace Ginsburg; Tropical Storm Beta Makes Landfall In Texas. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired September 22, 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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[05:30:14]

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. on the verge of passing a tragic milestone no other nation is near. Two hundred thousand Americans -- moms, dads, brothers, sisters, friends, and loved ones lost now to coronavirus.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And a serious blow to Democrats hoping to stop Republicans from replacing Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court.

Good morning, this is EARLY START. I'm Boris Sanchez in for Laura Jarrett.

ROMANS: Good morning, Boris. Nice to see you again this morning.

SANCHEZ: You, too.

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It is 30 minutes past the house, exactly.

And any moment now the U.S. will pass a milestone that is as tragic as it was preventable -- 200,000 Americans killed by coronavirus. The U.S. far outpacing the rest of the world no matter how you parse these numbers. America has already lost more lives than in World War I and Vietnam combined.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: Close to 200,000 deaths. We have six million-plus infections. You can't look at that and say that's terrific.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: There are signs of more trouble ahead. The seven-day moving average of new cases has crept above 40,000 for the first time since Labor Day. Cases are now increasing in 24 states with the western half of the country a big concern.

SANCHEZ: And we want to put a face to these numbers.

Some of the latest victims, Adeline Fagan, a second-year OB-GYN resident living in Houston. She was doing an E.R. rotation treating coronavirus patients.

Also, 67-year-old Johnny Lee Peoples and his wife, Kathy. This North Carolina couple was together for more than 50 years and they died just minutes apart while holding hands.

Of course, the politics of this is front and center with the administrations' response. Here's Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What worries me now is we've been living with this pandemic for so long, I worry we're risking becoming numb to the toll it has taken on us and our country and communities like this. We can't let that happen. We can't lose the ability to feel the sorrow and the loss and the anger for so many lives lost.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Remember, President Trump's response has been focused more on the economy than on science. And with almost 200,000 Americans dead, his citizens on his watch, here's how he rates his own performance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And we've done a phenomenal job. Not just a good job, a phenomenal job, other than public relations -- but that's because I have fake news. I can't -- you know, you can't convince them of anything. They're a fake.

But we have done -- on public relations, I give myself a D. On the job itself, we take an A+ with the ventilators and now with the vaccines that are years ahead of schedule.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The president was back on the road in Ohio last night holding another rally with few -- as you can see, few, if any masks and little social distancing.

And look at this. The Republican Lt. Gov. made a push for masks and listen to the crowd. The crowd met him with hostility.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GOV. JON HUSTEAD (R), OHIO: But if you go into a grocery store where you've got to wear one, all right --

(Booing)

Hang on, hang on, just listen up, just listen up. (Booing)

All right, I get it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: The CDC, on Monday, abruptly reverted to earlier guidance on how coronavirus is transmitted. Language about airborne transmission was removed just days after it was posted.

A federal official tells CNN the change was not the result of political pressure. The new language was apparently just posted by mistake. But bear in mind, the new guidelines that the CDC posted actually brought the agency in line with the accepted science.

The incident now highlights questions over past political pressure on CDC guidance, about social distancing, testing, transmission, and hospital data.

A former top official at the CDC says the abrupt change just feeds into concern that no one really is in charge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. RICHARD BESSER, FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: Once you have trust that's been broken it's extremely hard to get that back, and I worry about that. I worry about people questioning great science that CDC puts out because they're not sure what's great science and what has the fingerprints of politics all over it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Meantime, the CDC has issued its first guidance for the fall and winter holidays, discouraging most traditional Halloween activities like trick-or-treating and costume parties.

In Texas, more than 4,500 COVID cases have been reported in public schools. Some of the state's largest districts, including Dallas and Houston, have not even restarted in-person classes yet.

This morning, hypocrisy on the right and outrage on the left will not stop President Trump from trying to confirm a new Supreme Court justice before the election.

[05:35:04]

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell getting closer to locking down enough support to pave the way for a confirmation vote to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Two key Republican senators signaling support for confirming a nominee. Cory Gardner, facing a tough reelection fight in Colorado, and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who led the Judiciary Committee when it blocked hearings for Merrick Garland. SANCHEZ: And remember, it takes just a simple majority to confirm a justice, so even if Mitt Romney joins the two GOP senators who already said they want to wait until after the election -- and Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski -- it appears that McConnell has the votes he needs.

Democrats, meantime, say that all options are on the table but they are virtually powerless to shut this process down.

The current judiciary chair, Lindsey Graham, in a tough reelection fight himself, is vowing to confirm before Election Day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): The nominee is going to be supported by every Republican in the Judiciary Committee. And we've got the votes to confirm the judge -- the justice on the floor of the Senate before the election, and that's what's coming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The president's pick is expected at the end of the week. A source close to the process confirms Judge Amy Coney Barrett was at the White House Monday and met with President Trump.

Remember how much is on the line. A challenge to Obamacare days after the election, the president still has no plan to replace it as he tries to repeal it. And a legal fight over the election itself could get to the Supreme Court. An even number of justices could complicate any ruling.

SANCHEZ: Meantime, the president spreading misinformation on Justice Ginsburg's dying wish for the new president to replace her. He claims that it's coming from Democratic leadership, not the late justice's granddaughter.

Listen to what she has to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARA SPERA, RUTH BADER GINSBURG'S GRANDDAUGHTER: I asked her if there was anything she wanted to say to the public, to anyone, that wasn't already out there, and she said there was. And I pulled out my computer and she dictated the following sentence to me.

She said, "My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed." And I read it back to her and she was very happy with that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will lie in repose at the Supreme Court Wednesday and Thursday so the public can pay their respects. She will then lie in state at the U.S. Capitol on Friday, becoming the first woman to receive that honor.

ROMANS: All right.

Today is National Voter Registration Day and new numbers show many states have gone on to make up -- have ground to make up, rather, likely due to the pandemic. In 17 of 21 states analyzed by the Brennan Center, registration growth was lower than in 2016 by an average of 38 percent.

Now, CNN has reported an absence of in-person registration events at malls and college campuses likely hampered these registration drives.

SANCHEZ: And there are two major voting-related court rulings that came out on Monday. In Nevada, a judge dismissing a Trump campaign lawsuit challenging a plan in that state to send a ballot to every voter. And in the crucial battleground state of Wisconsin, a judge ruling that the state should accept mail-in ballots six days after the election, as long as they're postmarked by Election Day.

That now means that 25 states will keep counting ballots after Election Day. That represents almost two-thirds of electoral votes, so expect vote-counting to drag on for some time.

For information on how to register and vote in your state, you can visit cnn.com/vote.

ROMANS: Yes, a really important registration guide there. I encourage everyone to look at that.

Meantime, the U.S. recovery has stalled. CNN and Moody's Analytics calculates a back-to-normal index. As of last week, the economy was operating at about 76 percent of where it was before the pandemic.

The chief economist at Moody's Analytics, Mark Zandi, says this is clearly not a v-shaped recovery. President Trump, of course, declares the shape of the recovery a super-v.

But millions of Americans are out of work and temporary job losses have turned permanent for many. And coronavirus is still not under control. Weekly claims for unemployment benefits are still four times higher than pre-pandemic levels. There's growing concern the recovery is really a k-shape, worsening inequality, especially for people working at retail, restaurants and bars, and leisure.

Airline travel is down about 70 percent since early March.

Now there is a bright spot, a booming housing market driven by low mortgage rates and city dwellers fleeing to buy in the suburbs.

And stimulus checks launched retail sales back above pre-pandemic levels. But even there, the recovery is uneven, dominated by online sales as thousands of retail stores close their doors for good.

The recovery now depends on stimulus, which is on hold, and the virus, which is still spreading as flu season approaches. Zandi, at Moody's Analytics, expects -- doesn't expect a full return to employment until the second half of 2023.

[05:40:05]

SANCHEZ: Police in Louisville, Kentucky operating under a state of emergency as the city awaits an announcement from the state attorney general on the Breonna Taylor case. Some federal buildings in Louisville will be closed to the public through Friday. The windows of the federal courthouse are currently boarded up.

Taylor was a 26-year-old E.R. technician who was fatally shot back in March by police who were executing a no-knock warrant in a drug case. None of the three officers have been arrested or charged. Two of them are still serving on the force.

ROMANS: At least 27 major wildfires still burning in California. Twenty-six people have died in these wildfires. More than 6,000 homes and businesses destroyed.

The Bobcat Fire in Los Angeles County has burned through more than 103,000 acres, making it one of the largest fires the county has ever seen. The cause still unknown.

Now, the firefighter who died battling a separate fire sparked by a gender reveal party has been identified as Charles Morton, a squad boss for the Big Bear Interagency Hotshot crew.

And authorities made an unexpected discovery while searching a burned- out property in Berry Creek -- a small puppy, and he was still alive. They gave him food, water, and named him Trooper, fitting for such a tough little survivor.

SANCHEZ: Wow, a ray of hope.

A quick programming note for you. Go inside the incredible story of the boy from Troy turned civil rights icon, Congressman John Lewis. From freedom rides to sit-ins, protests to policy, his powerful voice and legacy can still be felt today.

CNN films presents "JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE," Sunday night at 9:00 eastern right here on CNN.

Stay with EARLY START. We'll be right back.

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[05:45:58]

SANCHEZ: A longer lifeline for businesses in New York trying to stay afloat during the pandemic. CNN is covering developments on coronavirus from coast to coast.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CRISTINA ALESCI, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Cristina Alesci in New York where the governor has just extended a moratorium on commercial evictions and foreclosures through October 20th. Now, this is designed to help businesses stay afloat but it's not a long-term solution because these businesses are going to have to make up the payments that they missed once the moratorium is lifted.

Now, there are separate protections for individuals and families who are having financial hardship because of the pandemic. That is through a state law called the Safe Harbor Act.

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Lucy Kafanov in Denver.

The University of Colorado Boulder is shifting to remote learning for all students for at least two weeks, starting Wednesday, in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19. Last week, a surge in cases forced school officials to clear out a dormitory to create more space to isolate those who've contracted the virus.

Colleges in at least nine states have shifted to remote learning after reported outbreaks.

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Nick Watt in Los Angeles, California, scene of the most COVID cases in the country, just past 15,000 dead from the virus.

But this is interesting. Hospitalizations and people in the ICU with COVID-19 down pretty dramatically over the past couple of weeks. One possible reason for that, here in California, about 60 percent of the COVID-19 cases now are in people aged 18 to 49, less hard-hit than those older.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Thanks to our correspondents for all those reports.

A right-wing critic who mocked Dr. Anthony Fauci as a mask Nazi abruptly retiring after news reports unmasked him as one of Fauci's own public affairs officials.

"The Daily Beast" reporting that William Crews had two jobs. By day, communications employee at the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. On the side, managing editor for the right-wing opinion site, Red State.

An NIH spokesperson confirming Crews sudden departure, but calling it a personnel matter.

SANCHEZ: A New York City police officer has been arrested and charged with acting as a foreign agent for China.

Prosecutors say 33-year-old Baimadajie Angwang used his position to give China access to NYPD officials and insider information about the department's operations. He's also facing charges of wire fraud and making false statements.

Angwang joined the department in 2016 as part of the community affairs unit and he's currently suspended.

ROMANS: All right. Tropical Storm Beta has just made landfall in Texas. Nearly 11 million people are now under flash flood watches across the Texas and Louisiana coasts.

Here is meteorologist Pedram Javaheri.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good Tuesday morning, guys.

Yes, Tropical Storm Beta did make landfall late Tuesday night, about 10:00 p.m. local time, across the eastern coast there, of Texas. We're talking about areas around the Matagorda Peninsula, which is just north of Corpus Christie. It came ashore with winds of 45 miles per hour.

Of course, the storm system kind of meandered around this region for several days now but still, watching those tropical storm warnings that are in effect across eastern Texas and portions of Louisiana as well.

And the concern with this, once again, is another storm system that is not necessarily a wind maker but a lot of rain. Notice the progression at around three miles per hour along the coast the next several days certainly not going to help out. But a lot of these areas have already been impacted by tropical systems, of course, in recent weeks.

So the amount of rainfall forecast could be as much as four to six inches. A few isolated pockets, as much as eight inches possible here. So flooding remains a big concern over the next several days.

Dallas, how about a high of right around 70 degrees. Denver climbing up to just shy of 90. And your afternoon highs in Chicago -- enjoy it, first day of fall, but still feels like summer. Temperatures there around 81 degrees.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Pedram Javaheri, thank you for that.

[05:50:00]

A former top lawyer on special counsel Robert Mueller's team says they could have done more to hold President Trump accountable. According to a new book obtained by "The Washington Post," prosecutor Andrew Weissmann says that while he is proud of the work they did, he now wonders if the team gave it their all.

CNN has not viewed a copy of the book and a representative for Mueller declined to comment.

Weissmann says the special counsel feared sparking outrage from the president and some questions went unanswered. Mueller never subpoenaed President Trump for testimony, as you might recall. He chose not to decide whether the charge against the president of obstruction of justice should be pressed forward. Attorney General William Barr, of course, decided not to indict.

ROMANS: Ellen DeGeneres kicking off her 18th season with an apology. The talk show host addressing allegations of a toxic work environment in her opening monologue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW": I don't think that I'm that good that I could come out here every day for 17 years and fool you. This is me and my intention is to always be the best person I can be.

And if I've ever let someone down, if I've ever hurt their feelings, I am so sorry for that. If that's ever the case, I've let myself down and I've hurt myself as well because I always try to grow as a person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The show's distributor, I should point out, is owned by our parent company.

Eleven current or former staffers told BuzzFeed, this summer, they faced harassment, intimidation, and racism while working on the Ellen show.

SANCHEZ: Take a look at what stopped rush-hour traffic in Chicago on Monday. This man on a horse, known as the Dreadhead Cowboy, was arrested for riding on the Dan Ryan Expressway. The cowboy's real name is Adam Hollingsworth.

But he says he did it to support Kids Lives Matter, trying to direct attention to the needs of children in Chicago. He posted live video of this daring highway ride on Facebook.

ROMANS: OK.

Let's get a check on CNN Business this morning. Taking a look at markets around the world, Asian shares -- markets in Japan were closed for a holiday, but Asian shares closed down outside of that. And, European shares have opened up a little bit, bouncing back.

Can they bounce back on Wall Street? U.S. stock index futures mixed at this moment. You know, stocks tumbled Monday as coronavirus fears and the Supreme Court politics weighed on investors.

The Dow closed down 510 points. That's the worst day in about two weeks. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq also lower. You know, the Dow and the S&P are now very close to falling into correction territory, which would be a 10 percent drop from their peak.

The concern here is the coronavirus is still spreading and frankly, the Supreme Court politics means the drama there in Washington is not going to be about stimulus but it's going to be about that Ruth Bader Ginsburg seat.

General Electric is planning to say goodbye to coal. The company said Monday it won't build new coal-fueled power plants and exit from the industry that may include site closures and layoffs.

GE has been struggling recently with the rise of natural gas and a shift toward renewable energy. GE isn't completely cutting ties with coal. It will still service existing plants and build turbines for nuclear power plants.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

"DOOM" VIDEO GAME: What you interfere with now is bigger than you can imagine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Now that's the popular video game, Doom. Microsoft plans to buy the owner of the popular franchises of Doom and Elder Scrolls for $7.5 billion. Microsoft moving quickly after its failed effort to buy popular video-sharing app TikTok.

It shows Microsoft is ready to escalate the gaming platform wars with Sony set to release its new PlayStation Five in November.

Michelob Ultra is looking to a new CEO, a chief exploration officer. The brand said it's hiring one lucky beer lover to travel the country for six months, posting pictures at national parks to the brands' social media accounts. OK, so what's the payday? Fifty thousand dollars, plus expenses.

Michelob said the explorer will be able to bring a right-hand person or animal along for the journey.

You going to apply for that job, Boris? You've got a job.

SANCHEZ: Quite a gig. I'm actually going to pick up my phone right now -- if you want to grab this next read -- and just apply. It sounds like a great job.

ROMANS: No, we want you in the job you have. Stay where you are.

SANCHEZ: Thanks, Christine.

Speaking of beer, New Orleans' iconic Dixie Beer Brewery is changing its name and asking the public for help. The company says the renaming process is designed to embrace a more inclusive and socially conscious future.

People can go to the Dixie Beer Web site to suggest a new brand name. The deadline is on Friday and the new name will be rolled out at Mardi Gras in 2021.

ROMANS: All right. Thanks for being here the last couple of days while Laura is out.

SANCHEZ: Thanks for having me, Christine. Always a pleasure.

ROMANS: It's always really -- yes, thanks for joining us. I'm Christine Romans. Have a great rest of your day, everybody. SANCHEZ: Take care.

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[05:59:20]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The U.S. approaches another grim milestone, 200,000 lives lost to coronavirus.

DR. PETER HOTEZ, DEAN, NATIONAL SCHOOL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: We may be in for a very apocalyptic fall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We may be at 300,000 by New Years. This is not necessary. This is not deaths that need to happen.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump says he'll announce his pick to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court by the end of the week.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sen. Chuck Grassley, as well as Sen. Cory Gardner, both coming out and saying they will support moving forward on a vote on a potential nominee.

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): They all set this new rule. When it's an election year and especially, when it's this close you let the people decide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It's Tuesday, September 22nd. It's 6:00 here in New York.