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Michelle Obama Video for Biden; NYC Close Schools; Outbreak at White House Raises Concerns; Aired 9:30-10a

Aired October 06, 2020 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:30:13]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the former first lady, Michelle Obama, is not holding back in a video just released which criticizes President Trump on his approach to the coronavirus and makes a passionate case for Joe Biden and his approach.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. Ms. Obama urging Americans to vote for Biden, like, quote, your lives depend on it.

Let's go to MJ Lee. She has more on this video.

It is interesting because she -- remember when -- like in those big speeches she never said Trump's name, she just said, we go high when they go low, et cetera.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HARLOW: And she doesn't love politics, but she is digging in on that one.

MJ LEE, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I mean if we could get a sign that we are just four weeks out from the election and it really is game time for the Biden campaign, this taped message from former First Lady Michelle Obama, it is direct to camera.

It is almost 24 minutes long. And it really is an urgent plea to the American people to get out and vote, not just for anyone, but, of course, for Joe Biden, and making the case in not mincing her words at all against President Trump and the state of the country under President Trump.

Remember, the former first lady is one of the most popular and well- known national Democrats in the country. And when she gave that speech at the Democratic National Convention, it was one of the most memorable speeches of the week.

I just want you to take a listen to a part of her speech where she talks about chaos in the country and a president who she says isn't up to the job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY: Believe it or not, the election is right around the corner. Votes are already being cast. And if you're still deciding who to vote for or whether to vote at all, I wanted to take a moment to remind you what's at stake and to urge you to make a plan to vote today.

Because, let's be honest, right now our country is in chaos because of a president who isn't up to the job. And if we want to regain any kind of stability, we've got to ensure that every eligible voter is informed and engaged in this election, because the stakes are on display every day, not just in the headlines, but in our families.

If you're a parent like me, you're feeling the consequences of this president's failure to take this pandemic seriously, from his constant downplaying of the importance of masks and social distancing, to his relentless pressure on schools to open without offering a clear plan or meaningful support to keep students and teachers safe.

Look, our daughters are in college now. And, luckily, they're taking classes from home this semester. But in just a few weeks since schools have resumed, many of their friends who returned to campus have either tested positive or are living with someone who has.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: Now, the former first lady also addressed the racial tensions in the country and said that under President Trump the country will continue to spiral out of control. Here is a little bit more from her speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: So I want to appeal for some empathy here, too. I want everyone who is still undecided to think about all those folks like me and my ancestors, the moms and dads who worked their fingers to the bone to raise their kids right, the teenagers who wear hoodies while working hard to get their diplomas, the millions of folks who look like me and fought and died and toiled as slaves and soldiers and laborers to help build this country.

Put yourselves in our shoes for just a moment. Imagine how it feels to wake up every day and do your very best to uphold the values that this country claims to hold dear, truth, honor, decency, only to have those efforts met by scorn, not just by your fellow citizens, but by a sitting president.

Imagine how it feels to have suspicion cast on you from the day you were born, simply because of the hue of your skin. To walk around your own country scared that someone's unjustified fear of you could put you in harm's way, terrified of what four more years of this kind of division might mean for the safety of you and those you love.

Living with the knowledge that no matter how hard we try, how much good we do in the world, there will be far too many who will never see our humanity, who will project on us their own fears of retribution for centuries of injustice and thus only see us as a threat to be restrained.

[09:35:21]

And we know what happens next. A racial slur from a passing car, a job promotion that never comes, a routine traffic stop gone wrong, maybe a knee to the neck. Racism, fear, division, these are powerful weapons and they can destroy this nation if we don't deal with them head-on.

So I want to ask every single American, no matter what party you normally vote for, to please take a moment to pause, click off the news, think about how you felt over these last four years, how quickly things have turned, and then think about what the next four years could mean for our country's future. The message we will send to our children about who we are and what we truly value.

Think about what would possibly compel you to accept this level of chaos, violence and confusion under this president and be willing to watch our country continue to spiral out of control because we can no longer pretend that we don't know exactly who and what this president stands for. Search your hearts and your conscience and then vote for Joe Biden like your lives depend on it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: So you just saw a long and impassioned speech from Michelle Obama. I will also just note that Joe Biden himself is going to be traveling to Gettysburg today, obviously a place of symbolic and historic significance. The theme of that speech today is going to be about unity and bringing the country together.

Jim and Poppy.

SCIUTTO: Yes, notable, MJ and Poppy, that the president had considered Gettysburg for his RNC acceptance speech, ultimately chose the White House.

HARLOW: Right.

SCIUTTO: But Joe Biden going there. I mean all the history in Gettysburg, the division, the racial division in this country, it's quite a decision.

HARLOW: Yes, and Lincoln. And it was interesting in that video, MJ, that she said, no matter what party you are, you know a part of, you know, basically think about voting for Joe Biden. I thought that was notable.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

LEE: That's right.

HARLOW: Thank you, MJ. Appreciate the reporting.

So, ahead, the only vice presidential debate of 2020, it airs tomorrow night on CNN with special coverage. It begins right here at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. SCIUTTO: Yes, and with more distance between the candidates than we saw in the presidential debate.

HARLOW: Yes.

SCIUTTO: Well, schools in nine New York City neighborhoods are closed this morning as officials there try to slow down a new -- a sad spike in coronavirus cases in a handful of neighborhoods. We'll have more.

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[09:42:28]

HARLOW: All right, here in New York City they have closed schools in nine different zip codes, all coronavirus hot spots now, as the city is trying to curb what is the biggest surge in new cases in months.

SCIUTTO: Yes, New York, sadly, is one of 22 states now seeing a rise in cases. This is mostly centered, as you can see in the country, in the northeast and Midwest region. It's been sort of changing every few days. We're following all the developments.

CNN correspondent Alexandra Field.

Let's begin with you.

So New York cases up by more than 50 percent. I mean this is after tremendous progress in recent weeks.

What exactly led to this outbreak and how extensive? Is it confined to particular neighborhoods?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is confined for now, Jim. The focus is on making sure this cluster doesn't spread across the city.

And we've got to put this into the broader context of the fact that New York City is now seeing a test positivity rate of about 1.5 percent. That's where it's been the last few days. Yes, it's higher than where it was, but it is dramatically lower than what you're seeing in a lot of the country.

What is concerning to officials on the city level and the state level is the fact that you have seen that positivity rate double in some nine zip codes. There are several others where they are watching the numbers tick up. They want to stop this before it spreads farther.

The governor says that large gatherings and religious gatherings may be to blame. These are zip codes that are home to a large orthodox population. Today, the governor is meeting with orthodox Jewish leaders. He says that these leaders must get their congregations to abide by the rules that are in place right now when it comes to capacity. He says if leaders in the congregations don't do that, the state will step in and close down religious institutions.

But a lot of the focus right now is also on the 300 schools across these nine zip codes. They have been closed as of today. The governor says there hasn't been enough testing in these schools, it's time to keep the students home while they try to stamp out this cluster.

Jim. Poppy.

HARLOW: Hoping for the best. I really am. Because people are on the subway and they are all over this city.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HARLOW: Alex, thank you very much for that reporting.

SCIUTTO: Yes, we'll watch it closely.

Well, the coronavirus outbreak inside the White House, a hot spot within the nation's house, now raising serious concerns about national security. How exposed is the U.S. in the midst of this? We're going to discuss, next.

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[09:49:19]

SCIUTTO: There is a growing cluster of cases inside the White House, turning it into a coronavirus hot spot. Right now at least 18 members of the president's inner circle and Republican colleagues have tested positive for the virus. That's, of course, raising questions about the threat this outbreak poses to national security.

Joining us now, Ambassador Richard Haass. He's the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, also served in the George W. Bush administration, also author of the book, "the World: A Brief Introduction."

Ambassador, good to have you on this morning.

RICHARD HAASS, PRESIDENT, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Thank you, Jim.

SCIUTTO: So you have many years of public service behind you, including to a Republican administration. Tell us what you were thinking when you saw the president's balcony moment last night.

[09:50:00]

HAASS: Well, in some ways it was, you know -- it's quintessentially, what, irresponsible in terms of the specifics, the taking off of the mask, but it was also a bit of theatrics that seems to me not fitting for an American political leader.

You know, there's too many historical associations, none of which is, shall we say, positive. And I also thought to have just come out of a situation where he received the most extraordinary health care available to anyone in the country or the world and then to go up on the balcony and flaunt not wearing a mask, it just seemed to me, again, totally irresponsible. SCIUTTO: You told "The New York Times" that the unanswerable question is whether any country will be tempted to use this period to advance its own agenda on the assumption that the United States will be too preoccupied to respond.

How do adversaries and perhaps even allies perceive the U.S. right now and do they see potentially opportunity to take advantage?

HAASS: In terms of adversaries, I think they do. And I think it's also important to remember, this isn't coming out of a vacuum. The pattern of the United States, for the last three and a half years, has been to withdraw from international treaties and arrangements and obligations, to pull troops back from the Middle East, but also Germany, to threaten to do so from South Korea.

So if you're an American adversary, there's got to be a sense that this is a country that's already leaning away and now is distracted, is looking inward. And it's quite possible, I don't know, but I'll tell you what China did say with Hong Kong or along the border with India, the greater pressure they're putting on Taiwan, what Turkey's doing in the (INAUDIBLE). Whether there's a sense of exploiting the fact that the United States essentially is not on the field.

I worry more, Jim, surprising enough though for friends. They see this and they shake their heads and they go, this is the country we have put our security in -- in whose hands we've put our security?

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HAASS: We are depending on this group to look after us? I think there's got to be an awful lot of headshaking and worrying and almost hedging against dependency on the United States.

SCIUTTO: Yes. And you've heard that in some public comments from -- from Merkel and Macron, right, that we can no longer depend in the way we did in the past.

I want to ask you about Russia in particular in this election.

Senator Christopher Murphy, he raised the alarm last week, in very public fashion, about administration efforts to downplay the Russian threat to the election. And I spoke to him on this broadcast as well about it. Should Americans be concerned that the Trump administration is not adequately defending this election from Russian interference?

HAASS: Oh, absolutely. I thought the statements of the national security adviser over the weekend were preposterous. The idea that he got Mr. Putin's assurance that he wasn't going to be doing anything. We ought to not just be defending ourselves more.

We ought to think about how we raise the price to Russia. Mr. Putin cares about one thing, Mr. Putin. What could we be doing to raise the cost and price to him of his interference in our electoral process? That's something we ought to be talking about.

SCIUTTO: We know that Republican members of Congress met -- I mean -- met with folks supplying information from Ukraine. The concern being, you know, these are people with pro-Russian ties. They're someone that Rudy Giuliani, the president's attorney, met with who U.S. intel calls a flat out Russian agent.

Are you concerned, not just about sins of omission, right, not adequately defending the U.S., but that you have members -- sitting members of Congress that have been aiding and abetting here?

HAASS: Again, it's strong language. I just don't understand the unwillingness to call out the Russians for what they're doing. It's -- essentially it's putting politics and party ahead of security.

And, you know, maybe I'm a dinosaur, but I grew up in a generation where nobody did that. And it just seems to me that hopefully after this election we will look into the mirror and rewrite things because this -- this sort of thing should never happen in the United States.

SCIUTTO: You have seen, witnessed, participated in, a lot of elections during your career in public service and since then. There's a great deal of nervousness about this election. Some of it based on fears, but some of it based on actions, right? I mean the president is calling out for observers to go to polling station, you know, concerns about voter intimidation. There are steps at restricting access to the vote being taken very publicly.

What words do you have to Americans watching now? Is the system, you know, the sort of a (INAUDIBLE) system we talk about, is it buckling under this pressure or can we expect a reasonably fair and safe election?

HAASS: Look, the answer is, we're going to find out.

[09:55:00]

And I think it's both the process of voting, whether the people are allowed to go to polls free of intimidation, whether ballots are counted, and then the aftermath, whether the results of the election are respected.

Jim, that -- what -- what makes a democracy a democracy, what makes this country qualitatively different, is the fact that the political process is something that's supposed to be free of coercion. It's free. And then, second of all, it's respected. That you do have that ride to Pennsylvania Avenue. That's what makes legitimate -- a political system legitimate. It's the peaceful, automatic transfer of power.

And I think what we've done is we've put in question both the process of voting, as well as respect for the aftermath. Again, that seems to me to be quintessentially un-American. That's what I expect of an authoritarian system. It's not what I expect of American democracy.

SCIUTTO: It's sobering. As you say, we'll see. We'll see.

Ambassador Richard Haass, thanks very much.

HAASS: Thanks for having me.

HARLOW: Well, the president is back in the White House this morning, but his doctors say he's not out of the woods yet. We're going to ask our Dr. Sanjay Gupta what that means exactly, ahead.

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