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Voters Sue Texas Governor Over Limit on Ballot Drop Boxes; WI Supreme Court to Weigh on Absentee Ballot Case; Trump's Years of Insulting His Opponent's Health; Contract Tracing Underway After Trump NJ Fundraiser. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired October 05, 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]

ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: One of those satellite drop boxes open in the weeks leading up to the election. So this is the story of what it will take to get to that ballot box in Harris County.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(on camera) It's just after 9:00 in the morning, we are in the far northeast corner of Harris County.

(voice-over) The only drop box now available in this county is at NRG Football Stadium which is 45 miles away.

(on camera) But one of the locations that was closed down was just over 20 miles. So it's kind of along the way, so we're going to drive by that location first.

(voice-over) Harris County which includes the city of Houston is nearly 1,800 square miles, much larger than Rhode Island.

(on camera) This county building is one of the 11 drop sites that was shut down by Governor Greg Abbott. It took us about 31 minutes to get here.

(voice-over) It's where we met Peaches Sullivan, who was dropping off voter registration forms for nursing home residents.

PEACHES SULLIVAN, HARRIS COUNTY RESIDENT: People are still worried. Why would he risk being having people come out even more when they don't have to, especially with the pre-existing conditions that they have?

(on camera) This is a driver you're going to see, it's almost like a slice of America. You'll see a little bit of everything on this drive from northeast Harris County into NRG Stadium where this drop box location is. Of course, critics of the governor say this is really just a masquerade way of suppressing voter turnout, making it more difficult for voting populations in highly Democratic towns like Houston and Austin to be able to safely submit their votes in the age of this COVID pandemic. (voice-over) The Texas governor says his decision will increase ballot security and help stop illegal voting, though there are no widespread problems with voter fraud.

(on camera) So this is the one drop box ballot site in Harris County.

(voice-over) Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins says the Texas governor's move to close down the ballot drop sites is an abuse of power.

CHRIS HOLLINS, HARRIS COUNTY CLERK: To make it so that our voters who have disabilities, our elderly voters have to drive over an hour, more than 50 miles in some cases, to drop off their mail ballot. It's unfair, it's prejudicial, and it's dangerous.

LAVANDERA (on camera): The drive took us about an hour and eight minutes. So round trip, you're looking at about two hours in 15 minutes. And quite honestly, it was an easy drive. We caught the traffic at a good time, it was actually relatively smooth sailing considering how bad traffic can get in the city.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And, John, there have been two federal lawsuits filed in the last few days trying to change the governor's proclamation that was issued late last week. The governor says that he has actually expanded access to voting. And in some cases, that's true. Early voting was expanded from two weeks to three weeks this year in the state of Texas.

But the governor also says that this is a move that he says will ensure transparency at the ballot box and also stop attempts at illegal voting.

John?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Ed Lavandera, thank you for that very long drive to illustrate I think a very important point about what's going on here.

We're joined now by CNN analyst and ProPublica Reporter Jessica Huseman. I think as a Texas resident and has unique perspective on this. You know, it's interesting, Jessica, because the governor really his defense for this isn't even that strenuous. The idea that this somehow protects security, there's just no proof of that in any way.

JESSICA HUSEMAN, CNN ANALYST: No, there's no proof of that at all. I mean, I think that the Texans that I know, I live in Dallas County, the Texans that I know are sort of stunned by how brazen this is, because he hasn't really attempted to justify it at all beyond vague considerations of election integrity. But, you know, not only a couple of weeks ago, the state appealed a change that a court had made to make voter access easier by saying that, you know, we can't make changes this close to the election or throw things into chaos. And then here he is a couple of days later, making a gigantic change to the way that people who are going to vote by mail or by absentee ballot are going to choose to vote. ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Jessica, this is madness. I'm so glad that Ed did that reporting for us. The idea that his closest one was 45 miles away, and then you saw the one that was closer that was halfway that far and it looks perfectly fine. It looks completely legitimate. There is no questions about security. The woman was going there already to drop off the, you know, registrations.

I mean, this is -- it's just impossible to imagine what Governor Abbott is doing here other than restricting voting access.

HUSEMAN: I think that you're right. And I think that while it is certainly true that the heavily populated counties like Harris and Travis and Dallas County will be uniquely impacted by this. There will still certainly be a lot of traffic around those drop boxes.

[07:35:03]

There were also gigantic rural counties in Texas that take up far more square mileage than Harris County. Brewster County, for example, which touches the Mexico border is more than 6,000 square miles, which means that it is larger than the state of Rhode Island and Delaware combined. And imagine if either one of those states so that they would only have one ballot drop box in the state, and then imagine if both did. This is a huge state and only having one drop box per county is basic voter suppression. I don't know that there is another way to characterize this.

BERMAN: Yes. The reason I think there's so much focus on this case is just because there's simply -- it's a single entendre as I like to say. There's really only one thing going on here.

There is a separate issue which is facing many different states around the country as we head up to Election Day, which is the idea of when ballots need to be postmarked by and how many days after November 3rd they will be counted. Now in Wisconsin, this is an issue and the Wisconsin Supreme Court now says it's going to look into this. So tell us what's going on there and the significance.

HUSEMAN: So the Wisconsin -- there was a judge in Wisconsin that a couple of weeks ago ruled that absentee ballots could be counted for a few days after the election as long as they were postmarked by November 3rd. And Republicans attempted to appeal that, they made a very vague argument about how ballots that arrive later compromise the integrity of ballots that arrive on time, which doesn't make a lot of sense to me, because as you and I both know, ballots can arrive for several days after people send them through no fault of their own because of the unreliability of the USPS. And so a series of very confusing court decisions have come out about that decision, but it's still being battled out.

And so, at the end of the day, clerks in Wisconsin are left pretty confused and not really able to prepare for what they need to prepare for, for Election Day. Because they don't know when they can start processing ballots or how long they have to count them. And this is really, this is really troubling to the election officials I've talked to you there. CAMEROTA: I can only imagine. So at the moment, is the rule still that voters have to -- have it postmarked by Election Day, but it still has six days after that to be counted, or has that all been thrown in flux.

HUSEMAN: As far as I understand that is still the rule. But again, it's still in flux. And, you know, we watch this every year, these court decisions that go right down to the wire that deeply impact the way that election administrators need to do their job and also appropriate workers need to do their job. And so that leaves less and less time to train them, less and less time for the counties and municipalities to prepare. And what that ends up doing is confusing voters on Election Day and making the entire process far more difficult.

CAMEROTA: Jessica Huseman, thank you very much for alerting us all to what's going on in some of these states. We really appreciate it.

HUSEMAN: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: All right, Donald Trump, as you know has spent years slamming the health and stamina of his opponents. Looking at his comments in today's lights, they've not aged well. A must see reality check next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:42:35]

CAMEROTA: Sleepy, unsteady, senile, weak. Those are just some of President Trump's favorite insults about the health of his opponents. But now he's the one who's sick. John Avlon is here with the Reality Check. So now what, John?

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, Ali, look, there's never been a president fell by a serious illness so close to an election, with Trump now saying that we should take this disease seriously because after 22,000 -- 10,000 American deaths, it has affected him personally. Now, we all wish the president and everyone in the White House COVID outbreak, a speedy recovery. But it's a karmic twist because Trump has deployed the politics of sickness in this campaign and the last, trying to stir rumors that his Democratic opponents were seriously ill.

But just maybe, this turn of events will allow our collective fever to break. So let's back up and take a look at what Donald Trump was doing almost four years to the day before his diagnosis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Here's a woman. She's supposed to fight all of these different things. And she can't make it 15 feet to her car. Give me a break. Give me a break.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: So he's making fun of Hillary Clinton for having pneumonia. Now (INAUDIBLE), his campaign released ads like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hillary Clinton doesn't have the fortitude and strength or stamina to lead in our world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: It all injected rocket fuel into countless memes and Hillary health hashtags, often amplified by Russia. The muscle memory endures because team Trump's been tried to run the same play against Joe Biden.

2020 nominees are less than four years apart but Trump's been straining to raise questions about Biden's mental fitness in speeches, ads, social media via surrogates struggling to explain away strong performances to date with reflect neither sleepiness nor civility. After Biden's DNC speech, Trump booster Rush Limbaugh baselessly said that Biden must have pre-taped it. But in CNN town hall accelerated back free accusations of performance enhancing drug use and a round of disastrous debate in which Trump himself was possibly sick and likely contagious, came conspiracy theory great speculation that Biden was wearing an earpiece.

Have we mentioned that projection as one of Trump's favorite political weapons. Because not coincidentally, we've also learned via Department of Homeland Security Bolton that the Russians are spreading the same kind of disinformation via social media. The kind of stuff which Trump has even re-tweeted.

[07:45:03]

But don't get distract from the fact that the literal politics of sickness affects all Americans through health care. And the Trump administration is preparing to argue in front of the Supreme Court that the Affordable Care Act a.k.a. ObamaCare is unconstitutional with nothing in place to replace. We can do better.

And witness the fact that the Biden campaign paused all negative ads out of respect for the president's condition, the Trump campaign true to form, refuse to do the same. Illness should inspire compassion, a recognition that we are all flawed and broken in different ways. But there's a common underlying condition beneath the politics of sickness and the politics of personal destruction. Both are symptoms of hyper partisanship, which too often elevates cruelty and justifies lies through a vision of politics as a version of civil war. We need to start overcoming this affliction and address its root causes, if we're going to see anything resembling real healing in the American body politic.

And that's your reality check.

BERMAN: Look, I think, John, you've just revealed why the president has been so squarely about his health because obviously he thinks it's weakness to be in the hospital. He thinks -- and so he's trying to avoid it any way he can, but you judge for yourself whether or not you think that SUV photo stunt is a sign of strength or weakness.

CAMEROTA: Thanks, John.

BERMAN: All right, New Jersey trying to track down donors who may have been exposed to coronavirus after going to a fundraiser with the president. The governor of Jersey joins us live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:50:41]

CAMEROTA: New Jersey officials are forced to contact traced after President Trump held a fundraiser there just hours before revealing that he tested positive for coronavirus. More than 200 people could be affected.

Joining us now is New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. Good morning, Governor.

GOV. PHIL MURPHY (D-NJ): Good morning, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: I know it's early days, it may be too early. But do you have any indication yet if anyone at that fundraiser got sick?

MURPHY: Let me say up front before I get into that, we wish the president, the first lady, everybody who's been infected, including my predecessor, nothing but speedy recovery. We're still in the process, Alisyn. This is reasonably complicated. It's got a local component, there were some folks from New Jersey, staff members. But by all accounts, it has a national component and so where we are -- you know, we got on the case immediately both at the state level and local level. But we've had to -- you know, we need more I think out of the federal side of this, no evidence yet but, you know, please God, everybody's got to do the basic stuff.

If you know you're exposed to someone who's COVID positive, you need to quarantine and attest right away doesn't really mean much because the virus takes a while to, to incubate. So we're still in the throes of this.

CAMEROTA: But are you calling on all of those 206 people, that was the last number that I had, to be in quarantine now for a couple of weeks?

MURPHY: Yes. Based on everything we know, there's no reason to not say that. You know, this, this virus doesn't care who you are. By the way, New Jersey doesn't care who you are either. We got to do the right thing here. And that is, if you, if you think you've been in touch or in the midst of someone who's COVID positive, you got to take yourself off of the field.

CAMEROTA: Meaning that -- I mean, now everybody who was there, more than 200 people were in contact with someone who is positive, President Trump.

MURPHY: Yes. And perhaps other teammates as well. So this -- I don't want to be, I don't want to be the Grinch here but that's the way we have got to deal with this virus. If you've been in contact, you got no choice, you got to take yourself off of the field. And then five or seven days into that, get tested, still stay off the field, probably get tested again. And then when you're through that, then you you're OK.

But this is, you know, this is borders on reckless in terms of exposing people not just in New Jersey, but it looks like from folks around the country who have now scattered by the way.

CAMEROTA: I mean, you say borders on reckless, let's just go over some of the details. This was a reception as we say for at least 200 people, there was also an indoor component, OK, a VIP reception for a smaller amount of people who were in a photo op with President Trump, so close enough to be in a photo op with him. The -- some attendees, three attendees told CNN that most people at the event were not wearing masks. And we know that by then Hope Hicks, one of the president's closest aides had already tested positive. And so is it more than bordering on reckless?

MURPHY: Yes. I mean, that's my understanding of the facts as well, Alisyn. It's really frustrating, I have to say. And we have paid an enormous price in New Jersey, we've lost over 14,000 people, we've had spikes of late in various parts of the state. We're doing everything we can to do the right thing.

And when you have behavior like this -- and by the way, it isn't just this -- you know, we all want to step back in and accept the fact that this is an ongoing series of lessons of flouting. What we know is what you need to do to drive this virus into the ground. Namely, cover your face, socially distant, the virus is a lot more lethal indoors than outdoors. And if you don't feel well or you've been exposed, stay home, get away from other people.

It's basic stuff. This is yet another chapter. Sadly. And I hope it's a lesson that now we've all learned.

CAMEROTA: Governor, you said that you're going to need the Feds' help. Is this your responsibility? I mean, to contact trace now for all of these 200 people.

[07:55:00]

Is that the responsibility of New Jersey because it happened in New Jersey or is it the responsibility of the White House?

MURPHY: It's a combination. I mean, we're taking the lead, we got on it immediately, both at the state level and the local level. But we've -- you know, we need cooperation from the Feds. We ultimately got a list of the attendees by mid-afternoon on Friday. But we need more cooperation out of the administration.

The local piece of this got going, as I said, immediately. Remember, the staff all live in New Jersey, even though the attendees were from around the country including New Jersey, the staff is all local. So you could imagine we've been all over that. It's a combination. It's ever -- it's an all in moment as it has been, I think, for the past seven months, but we need everybody to punch it their way here.

CAMEROTA: Governor, I want to ask you about your predecessor, former governor, Chris Christie, have you spoken to him?

MURPHY: He and I have had private communications over the weekend, as we have between my wife and the former first lady. He is in our prayers and he knows that we're here for him.

CAMEROTA: Can you tell us how he's doing? I mean, is he having more than mild symptoms?

MURPHY: I have no insight into his situation other than he came out and said that he had tested positive. I think it's now been widely reported that he, as a precautionary matter, admitted himself to a hospital. And again, he and his family are in our prayers.

CAMEROTA: Do you -- are you able to say if you know what kind of treatment he's getting today?

MURPHY: I actually do not, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: When did you last --

MURPHY: Again, he's in our prayer.

CAMEROTA: And ours, and ours. I mean, really, Governor, I'm only asking because I'm worried about him. I'm worried about him that he was so close to President Trump during that week that President Trump we now know was exposed and clearly had the virus. I mean, the White House won't tell us the last time he tested negative. But it seems safe to assume that Governor Christie was right next to him before the president knew that he was sick. And so I'm just -- I'm worried and so can you just tell us when the last time you spoke to him was?

MURPHY: Listen, I'm worried as well, Alisyn, not just about Governor Christie. But I said a minute ago, Bedminster is a chapter in a long book of now countless chapters of indoor close proximity gathering with no face coverings. And the folks at the top beginning with the president have to set an example for the rest of our country to do the right thing. And so I'm worried about anybody who's been exposed. And clearly there's been a raft of that of late in and around the White House.

CAMEROTA: Yes. Governor Phil Murphy, we know you have a busy day. Thank you very much as always for taking time to be on NEW DAY.

MURPHY: Good to be with you, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Great to talk to you.

And NEW DAY continues right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Questions about how seriously the president is taking the virus even in the face of his own struggle. Getting into that car and doing that drive by --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Trump wanting to as a sign of gratitude show folks that he's still fighting for them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here he has his own protective detail and he's putting them at risk so that you can go out and leave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The White House doctor is having a difficult time answering very basic questions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude that the team has had, and doing so came off that we're trying to hide something.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That shakes the public's confidence, and it makes it that much harder to believe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In medicine, we don't throw the kitchen sink at a patient with an abundance of caution. I think the president might be the only patient on the planet ever to receive this particular combination of medicine.

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

CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to our viewers in the United States all around the world. This is NEW DAY.

And this morning, we have no clue how the president is doing in terms of his lung function. We don't know how long he'll stay in the hospital. We don't know how severe his illness is. All we know is that yesterday, the president took a drive for a photo op outside of Walter Reed Medical Center to wave to his supporters though he's supposed to be in isolation. The White House medical team apparently OK'd this drive by but other doctors say they put the Secret Service agents who were in that car at risk as well as their families.

The administration gave no notice to reporters, which of course breaks long standing protocol. And this stunt follows a weekend of very conflicting reports about the president's health.

BERMAN: So the president look better in his Twitter video Sunday than his Twitter video Saturday. That's about as solid as it gets right now, now that the president's doctor has admitted to lying to the American people.

So we're going to lay out what we've been told but whether it's to be believed is a completely different map. We're told the president is receiving a variety of treatments from desivir and experimental antibody cocktail, and a steroid Dexamethasone that the NIH suggests only to give to people with severe breathing issues. The president's doctor says he's experienced two drops in oxygen levels and was given supplemental oxygen, Friday. Dr. Sean Conley lied about that in this first news conference on Saturday.