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Commission on Presidential Debate Vows to Change Rules for Next Presidential Debates; GOP Senators Condemn White Supremacy; Suspect Accused of Ambushing 2 Sheriff Deputies in Los Angeles Pleads not Guilty in First Court Appearance. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired October 01, 2020 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: At the first presidential debate and to the debate moderator. We have now heard from Chris Wallace for the first time. He tells "The New York Times", quote, "I'm just sad with the way last night turned out. I never dreamt that it would go off the tracks the way it did. I'm a pro, I've never been through anything like this."

Joining us now, CNN global affairs analyst Susan Glasser; she's a staff writer at "The New Yorker", and Peter Baker; he is the chief White House correspondent for "The New York Times", and they are both the authors of the new book "The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III", and I am so gladly holding my copyright now.

And I do want to talk about the book in a little bit. But I'm going to start with Chris Wallace because it's actually all connected here in a certain way. So when Chris Wallace, who knows his way around Washington and has been covering politics for a long time says "I never dreamt" this would happen. I never dreamt that Donald Trump would behave this way at the first debate. Susan, how can anyone at this point not dream of something like that? How can that be now?

SUSAN GLASSER, STAFF WRITER, THE NEW YORKER: Well, thank you, John. I would say it's more of a nightmare than a dream, right? What's amazing to me is that the Trump people actually telegraph very clearly in advance what his strategy for the debate was, and in a way we are still in this situation of not being able to fully process that the president of the United States is actually proposing to do exactly what he says he's going to do.

Which is why I think you see so much alarm about the election right now, given his rhetoric. So, the president for days in advance and his advisors attack Joe Biden in very stark terms. Made it very clear his whole goal was to get Biden off his game, to, you know, be very aggressive.

And yet, because it was exploding the boundaries even for President Trump, Wallace did not seem to be prepared to handle it -- the commission frankly has in effect admitted its mistake in agreeing to rules with the Trump campaign that the president was never going to abide by. So it's an extraordinary situation we have where the rogue -- the rogue after is at the very top.

BERMAN: Yes. And I guess what I'm saying, Peter, is that what does it say if people can still be surprised by this? And Wallace, who in many ways is establishment, right? What does it say that the establishment can be surprised by President Trump at this point?

PETER BAKER, CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, NEW YORK TIMES: Well, look, you know, he has made a point of finding new and different ways to challenge norms, challenge assumptions, challenge, you know, the traditions of his office, challenge the rules of the game since day one. And it's remarkable that we are surprised, but you're right. We do find ourselves, I think, surprised day in and day out.

Basically what he was doing in this debate was undercutting the very idea of the election, right? People should not trust it. They should feel like it's rigged. They should feel like the whole thing is a fraud unless, of course, he wins.

And what he is doing, of course, is setting up, you know, a plausible explanation for at least some of his supporters if things don't go the way he wants them to be rather than trying to actually deal with any genuine issues that there might be in terms of turning around an election in the middle of a pandemic.

And I think that, you know, the fact that we're still surprised speaks to his way of thinking the presidency. You know, he told aides early on, we reported this, think of everyday of the presidency like another 30-minute reality show. And he has managed to keep that reality show that he did have on the air for 14 years. If you can keep the suspense factor going on that kind of a show for 14 years, he's shown so far he can do that same thing in the presidency.

BERMAN: Yes, I think he actually, probably says more not about the president, but says more about the establishment as it were that it can be surprised at this point. Maybe they shouldn't be. Maybe they should, you know, take the president at his word. Maybe they should look at the history here that there's no norm, no boundary, that he is not willing to explode.

Mitch McConnell, for the second time in two weeks, has needed to come out to, I don't know, try to put up guardrails or to speak out against something the president has said the first time was about the integrity of the election and whether or not there will be a peaceful transfer of power. And now it's condemning white supremacy. So listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): I want to associate myself with the remarks of Senator Tim Scott. He said it was unacceptable not to condemn white supremacists. And so, I do so in the strongest possible way.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BERMAN: So Peter, you cover the White House day in and day out. What

message has the president at this point heard about the debate and process? Does he know that by and large, this was seen as a disaster?

BAKER: Well, does he know or does he care? Remember, his goal of the point was to get dominance over Joe Biden, to make Biden look weak and fragile and to question his capacity to be president.

[07:35:00]

That's his only game plan at this point. He's behind the polls, 8, 9, 10 points. He had to shake things up. And his way of shaking things up was to get in Biden's space verbally the same way he got into Hillary Clinton's space physically at the debate four years ago. I don't know that he understood that it would backlash quite the way it has. It might not have among his own supporters. It might have actually, you know, rallied people who like that kind of --

BERMAN: Great --

BAKER: Demeanor on his part. But I think that at this point, his advisors are kind of bringing their hands, trying to figure out what they can do to shake things up in a way that doesn't rebound back on him.

BERMAN: So, here is the connection to the book. Here is the connection to James Baker who you guys wrote this wonderful book about, because no one is more establishment, right, than James Baker. He in some ways for decades was the Washington establishment. And you write about Baker's opinions of Donald Trump. And it's striking now after this debate to read that Baker actually tried to get Trump to change, Susan. You write that he went to Baker.

He went to Trump -- Baker went to Trump and said, you do not need to abandon your outside rebel persona, Baker's memo said, "but you do need to bring on board other voters if you expect to win. Stop attacking people who might be allies", Baker urged. "Don't feed the shoe from the lip big mouth narrative. Reach out to women, minorities and establishment Republicans."

So, my God, this was a memo he wrote in 2016. But Susan, the idea that these words exist on paper after the debate we just saw, it's really fascinating.

GLASSER: Well, you're right, I'm so glad you pointed that out. So, back in 2016, you know, there was a connection made between Trump and Baker. Baker obviously saw pretty clearly what Trump was, and this was in effect his way of saying be what you cannot be. And without that, Baker was never going to endorse him. He never has.

But you know, there was a point of view that somehow Trump was a showman and that he was just doing this for some public effect. Now, obviously, four years later, that seems almost absurd, right? Trump is who Trump is. But, you know, remember the theory of the adults in the room, and Jim Mattis and Rex Tillerson who by the way was a friend of Jim Baker's from Texas, and Baker thought well, if he was Secretary of State, maybe Trump would listen to him. Obviously Trump did not.

And so, you know, that theory of the case that Trump could be constrained and managed, I think is what the Republican -- parts of the Republican --

BERMAN: Right --

GLASSER: Establishment, maybe they didn't think it would happen, but it was a certain amount of wishful thinking. And you know, in the end, look at these senators. Yesterday, Tim Scott, Mitch McConnell referenced that in the clip you made just there. It's ridiculous to think that Donald Trump just misspoke about white supremacy. He knew exactly what he was doing. Those senators know at this point that he knew exactly what he was doing.

But they persist in saying like, well, perhaps the president misspoke. You know, like I didn't hear him correctly or you know, both sides were, you know, a little bit out of control last night. And so it's become this dreary ritual of the Trump era. But Peter doesn't want to talk about it anymore.

BERMAN: Well, right, Baker doesn't want to talk about it anymore, and you've put this to him repeatedly where the last time he actually said something affirmative on it was that, you know, you can't say I'm going to vote for Joe Biden indicating that he might very well end up voting for Donald Trump. And I know you've been asked this repeatedly in the last few hours, have you talked to him since the debate, Peter? Has he told you whether or not his mind has been changed?

BAKER: We haven't talked to him since the debate. Jim Baker just recovered from COVID. He and his wife Susan had a really nasty bout with it, even at age 90, he is so strong that he managed to get past it. So, he went out elk hunting rather than watch the debate to kind of -- as his jailbreak he called it, after all these weeks of suffering.

I don't blame him for not wanting to watch. My guess is if he did watch or if he watches later, he would not be impressed by what he saw. That's not the kind of politics that he believes in. He believes in tough politics. Don't get --

BERMAN: Yes --

BAKER: Us wrong. He was there for the 1988 race against Michael Dukakis. He ran as the Florida recount for George W. Bush. But this is not the kind of politics that --

BERMAN: Yes --

BAKER: Jim Baker believes in. That's what troubles him and so many Republicans.

BERMAN: My God, the level of in-fighting in the Reagan White House that he was right in the middle of. You know, he believes in sharp elbows, it's not that, it's beyond that. I have to go. But in ten seconds or less, Susan, to me, one of the big takeaways here is the importance of doubles tennis and what having a good doubles partner can do for your life and career.

GLASSER: You know, always play the net game if you can.

BERMAN: His doubles partner in Houston was George H.W. Bush before he was involved in politics anyway, and that was the in to 40 years of being one of the major players in the country. Susan Glasser, Peter Baker, the book is terrific, "The Man Who Ran Washington", I'm so excited to have it in my hands. Thanks so much for being with us this morning.

GLASSER: Thank you --

BAKER: Thanks for having us.

[07:40:00]

BERMAN: Right, new information this morning about the man just charged in the brazen ambush of two California sheriff's deputies. We have those details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Prosecutors have charged a suspect in the ambush shooting of two Los Angeles sheriff's deputies last month that was captured on surveillance video. It turns out the alleged gunman was already in custody. CNN's Stephanie Elam is live in Los Angeles with the latest. What do we know, Stephanie?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn. First, an update on those two deputies. They are miraculously already at home and recovering. The sheriff saying that he does expect them to return back to work once they do heal. But still, now we have a timeline on how this all played out and how they were able to identify their suspect.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM (voice-over): A brazen ambush of law enforcement that shocked the nation.

[07:45:00]

ALEX VILLANUEVA, SHERIFF, LOS ANGELES COUNTY: That was a cowardly act.

ELAM: Two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies shot in cold blood as they sat in their cruiser outside of a transit center.

VILLANUEVA: We have found our suspect.

ELAM: Now, the sheriff's department says it nabbed the suspect, 36- year-old Deonte Lee Murray after connecting the dots to a crime on September 1st.

JACKIE LACEY, LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Murray was arrested two weeks ago and charged in connection with a carjacking of a man driving a Mercedes-Benz in Compton, and he was charged with also shooting the driver of that Mercedes.

ELAM: That car would turn out to be key. On September 12th, the deputies were ambushed. The female deputy going to great lengths to save her partner's life. During their investigation, officials identified the vehicle in surveillance video from around the scene.

KENT WEGENER, CAPTAIN, LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: The case of the carjacking was investigated. A suspect was subsequently identified and an arrest warrant was obtained for him.

ELAM: Then, on September 15th, LESD deputies found the suspect and attempted to stop him.

WEGENER: The suspect fled in a 2006 Toyota Solara which major crimes detectives pursued. During that pursuit, the suspect threw a pistol from his car. That pistol was recovered and held as evidence.

ELAM: After a more than ten-hour manhunt, officials say the suspect was finally arrested. The black Mercedes was also located. While this was ongoing, however, law enforcement was saying the suspect had nothing to do with the ambush. Sheriff Alex Villanueva on CNN's Erin Burnett out front.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN: Is this connected to the manhunt for the gunman?

VILLANUEVA: No, that is a separate carjacking suspect.

ELAM: Through testing, officials determined the recovered pistol was used in the ambush and was also connected to the suspect.

WEGENER: When I said the gun matched, both ballistically and forensically, that was days later, days after his arrest. It would have been irresponsible for us to put his name in the papers as being the guy we're looking at. Because that's irrefutable.

ELAM: On top of the charges related to the carjacking, Murray is now also charged with two felony counts of premeditated attempted murder of a police officer. If convicted, he could face life in prison.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM: And Murray made his first court appearance in this case yesterday. He pled not guilty. His bail set at more than $6.1 million. The next time he'll be in court, November 17th, John.

BERMAN: All right, Stephanie Elam for us, thank you for keeping us posted on that. Stephanie, appreciate it. The coronavirus pandemic has just decimated America's economy, leaving millions of Americans without the income they need to make rent. With evictions still being carried out despite a national moratorium, many families are on the brink of losing everything. CNN's Kyung Lah who has done terrific reporting on this joins us now with an important look. Kyung?

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, you know, this goal of the CDC moratorium that went into effect four weeks ago, it was to keep people in their homes, is trying to stop evictions during this pandemic. Well, as we learned in Columbus, Ohio, that's not exactly what's happening.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAH (voice-over): In Columbus, Ohio, the city Convention Center --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All rise.

LAH: Is now the courtroom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you're occupying this property?

LAH: This space chosen to socially distance crowds during the pandemic, 118 evictions are on the docket today. Among them, Umu Conteh.

UMU CONTEH, FACING EVICTION: I work in the nursing home when I got infected with the COVID.

LAH: Conteh said she contracted the virus in June at the nursing home where she worked. A U.S. resident, an immigrant from Sierra Leone was out of work for two months. She is now working as a home health care aide making $12 an hour. It's not enough to pay the rent she owes.

CONTEH: They give me 30 days. I'm just thinking about my kids. Where do I go with my kids?

LAH: Everywhere you turn, a different face shares an economic plight that landed them here.

KIRK LINDSEY, MAGISTRATE, FRANKLIN COUNTY MUNICIPAL COURT: Why did you do that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For non-payment of rent.

LAH: Cases filed against tenants despite a national moratorium on most evictions until the end of the year.

(on camera): The public often thinks a moratorium means nothing is happening. Is that the case?

MELISSA BENSON, LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF COLUMBUS: Absolutely not here, and I don't believe in any other places at this point. There are cases being filed everyday still.

LAH (voice-over): The legal aid society of Columbus says most tenants don't know about the moratorium or how to get the federal protection. In Columbus, financial aid and pro bono lawyers sit on the wings of magistrate Kirk Lindsey's eviction court.

LINDSEY: These are certainly unprecedented times from my perspective.

LAH: Working to get that moratorium information to tenants like the Turner family.

SHAYLYNN WEBB, FACING EVICTION: I'm sorry.

LAH: Yes --

WEBB: It's just scary fairly because this is like our first apartment, like we're new really to adulthood.

[07:50:00]

LAH: They're new parents. Afraid to comfort their 8-month old daughter in the public air in the pandemic.

RODNEY TURNER, FACING EVICTION: Everything was going so perfect until it just wasn't. You know?

LAH: Both of you lost your jobs.

WEBB: Yes --

TURNER: Yes.

LAH: That was in March. Rodney Turner just got a new job two weeks ago, but they're months behind on rent.

WEBB: It's just really overwhelming and scary because we don't know, you know, what's going to happen in there. They could say we've got to move out in a week and we don't know.

LAH: The tenants we meet today won't know if they can stay in their homes until yet another court appearance next week. Umu Conteh heads home. A single mother, the healthcare worker asks friends to care for her children day-to-day while she cares for the elderly.

CONTEH: This is Ramatu, this is Khadijah is my daughter.

LAH: She is grateful for her small home.

CONTEH: My apartment is nice as you can see.

LAH: She just needs to find a way to stay.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAH: Now, last week, the eviction filings in Columbus, Ohio, according to the court were the highest in a week since the pandemic began, and a couple of things, John and Alisyn. What I want to point out is that everyone in that story we spoke to had just rejoined the workforce.

They're just behind in the rent and that's why the eviction proceedings are continuing. And about half the people I met that day, half of the 118 people I just happen to speak to in the waiting area, they work in healthcare. You know, the ones who walk by those hashtag signs that say heroes work here. John, Alisyn?

BERMAN: They are the ones out there putting their lives on the line. Kyung, this is really important, and I learned something that I didn't know, and I think that the viewers did too. The moratorium one would think would stop this, so just reiterate again, it hasn't, how can this still be going on?

LAH: Because it's open to interpretation. Number one, the tenants are the ones who have to file and say that they want to put this law into effect. This protection into effect. A lot of them didn't even know that it exists, and if you don't walk in there and get some sort of legal aid, that means that it doesn't exist for you.

CAMEROTA: Yes, if you don't know, you can't make it happen. And the idea that, you know, these folks with young kids don't know where they will be sleeping, don't know where they will be living, the foundation just crumbles beneath you.

BERMAN: Look, Kyung, thank you. You just did a mizpah, I mean, telling as many people as possible that this is going on is a good thing. So thank you for your reporting.

LAH: You bet.

BERMAN: All right, time just ran out for tens of thousands of airline workers hoping for a last second deal to save their jobs. What happens now is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:55:00]

BERMAN: Time just ran out for the airline industry in this country. Lawmakers who had months to work out a new stimulus plan to help struggling workers, they failed. Today, 100,000 jobs are on the brink, a third of them already gone. CNN's chief business correspondent Christine Romans with more on that. These are huge numbers, Romans.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: They really are, and airline workers have been dreading this day. Funding from the CARES Act expires today, that means big job cuts, 32,000 jobs already gone, 19,000 at American Airlines, 13,000 at United.

Both airlines say look, if Congress can work out more stimulus, they will bring those workers back. But lawmakers are not even close here. Despite optimistic words from the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, sources briefed on the talks, said they are still far apart.

Though sources say they can't agree on relief for state and local governments which Democrats want, and liability protections which Republicans want, and they're really far apart on how much help is needed. Democrats had already passed $3.4 trillion in new aid months ago.

That had stimulus payments, small biz aid, state and local relief, money for testing, schools, jobless benefits, airlines, but Republicans had a much smaller rescue in mind. Now house Democrats are holding off on a vote on their$2.2 trillion compromise to allow more time for negotiations in a last-ditch effort for a deal here.

John, more stimulus is desperately needed. The collapse of the global air travel could wipe out an estimated 46 million jobs around the world. Remember, planes in the air prop up jobs on the ground like engineers, factory workers, air traffic control, car rentals, all kinds of leisure industries and other businesses that rely on the global supply chain. And John, it's been a dizzying 24 hours for job cuts. United, American, Goldman Sachs Allstate, Disney, Shell, Continental Tire, end of the quarter, bunch of layoffs here in the last --

BERMAN: Yes --

ROMANS: Day or two.

BERMAN: Those are just big numbers. Christine Romans, thanks so much. NEW DAY continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: After refusing to explicitly condemn white supremacy and right-wing extremist, President Trump declined to denounce them once again.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know who the Proud Boys are. I can only say, they have to stand down, let law enforcement do their work.

JOE BIDEN, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE FOR 2020: My message to the Proud Boys and every other white supremacist group is cease and desist.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wisconsin just reported its highest daily number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the first time in 16 years, we've had to put patients in hallway beds.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have got to put the brakes on this pandemic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right, good morning everyone, welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY and it's October. It's October --

CAMEROTA: Oh, my --

BERMAN: No, I was leading with I think what the biggest news is --

CAMEROTA: I know --

BERMAN: It's October.

CAMEROTA: Life is speeding by, speeding towards election day.

BERMAN: All right. There's a lot going on this morning including this question. How hard is it really to condemn white supremacy?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Done in New York, like they've done in New York -- I just told you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But do you denounce them? Will you denounce --

TRUMP: I've always denounced any form, any form, any form of any of that. You have to denounce it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right. After refusing to do it at the debate, now the president says he's always denounced.