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Trump Scraps Stimulus Talks, Then Dangles New Offer on Twitter; New Urgency at Vice Presidential Debate; 22 States Across U.S. Reporting Coronavirus Upticks; Lakers One Win Away from NBA Title. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired October 07, 2020 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:18]

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: An erratic tweeting president throwing stimulus talks into disarray with the livelihoods of millions of struggling Americans hanging in the balance.

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: And tonight's vice presidential debate takes on new urgency, with the president's health still in question.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.

ROMANS: Good morning. I'm Christine Romans. This is Wednesday, October 7th, 2020. It is 27 days until the election.

The art of no deal. President Trump kills stimulus talks saying relief for millions of struggling Americans will wait until after the election. Then just hours later, he dangled this on Twitter: If I'm sent a standalone bill for stimulus checks, $1,200, they will go out to our great people immediately. I'm ready to sign now. Are you listening, Nancy?

This after killing official stimulus talks. Just hours earlier, he had punted on more relief, in a series of tweets he said, after I win, we will pass a major stimulus bill that focuses on hard working Americans and small business.

The move stunned lawmakers, especially since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had been talking over the last few days in a last-ditch effort to reach a deal.

Investors hoping for any sort of agreement reacted quickly. The Dow swung 600 points before closing down 376 points. Taking a look at the futures now, it looked like they're stabilizing, at least this morning. We'll watch closely to see what happens when the opening bell rings in about four hours.

To be clear, no new stimulus means jobless Americans will not get anymore money and enhanced unemployment benefits. There are no more funds from the Paycheck Protection Program to help struggling small businesses. Any new relief that would have allowed airlines to bring workers back on the job, gone. The restaurant industry warns delays in stimulus even by several weeks

will cause more independent restaurants to fail. The world's largest retail group coming out strongly against the decision, saying, quote, the pandemic isn't over and neither is the economic crisis it has created.

And this, Laura, just hours after the Fed chief, Jerome Powell, said that it was urgently needed --

JARRETT: Right.

ROMANS: -- more help for the economy to make sure the economy can come out of this crisis in a healthy manner.

JARRETT: Yeah, clearly, an urgent warning there, and you wonder why the president called off the talks in the first place. You know, especially, you know, he wants the Supreme Court nominee to be the first priority. It's getting people the help that they need for this election, you would think would be the first priority as well.

ROMANS: The optics of focusing on the Supreme Court process over millions of Americans who have to pay their bills, that's a risky gambit.

JARRETT: Absolutely.

All right. The outbreak at the White House is spreading at this hour as top Trump aide Stephen Miller tested positive for the coronavirus. Miller's diagnosis Tuesday as at least ten others in the White House who have the virus.

Miller's also a member of the Trump team that prepped the president for his debate last week. Of that group, six people have now tested positive, including Kellyanne Conway and Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien.

Miller is best known for promoting anti-immigrant policies, but he also championed the president's message that the pandemic does not pose an outside threat to the U.S.

White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins has more now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Christine and Laura.

Add Stephen Miller to this growing list of officials inside the West Wing who had now tested positive for coronavirus. He released his statement last night, along with the disclosure saying he had actually been at home for the last several days. Of course, he was in close contact with a lot of people who have already tested positive. And he stayed he'd home out of caution and tested negative every single day.

But we're told that when he went to go to work today, he got tested and it was a positive result and of course now he's at home again. And viewers might remember, it was actually just a few months ago when Stephen Miller's wife, Katie Miller, who is a top aide to the vice president tested positive for coronavirus.

So, this case is going to raise questions about whether or not, you know, living with someone in close quarters and he did not contract it, what made it happen now? Now, all those questions about how this transmission spread, because, of course, now we are seeing how prevalent it is in the White House. And even White House staffers overnight saying contact tracing for the positive cases they knew about so far had been done and they have not been contacted when they believe they should have.

But we are told by one official, they actually did just that. They reached out because they believe they came into contact with someone who was tested positive and they were not notified. And now, CNN is told that person was not told any instructions about how to proceed, what to do. So, you do see how maybe they done contract tracing, but this has clearly been incomplete in some situations.

And, of course, add Stephen Miller onto the four press aides who have tested positive making the cases inside the West Wing just continue to skyrocket in recent days -- Christine and Laura.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[05:05:08]

ROMANS: All right. Kaitlan Collins, thank you so much for that.

A senior Pentagon leaders, including Joint Chiefs chairman, General Mark Milley, are self-quarantining this morning after possible exposure to the coronavirus. The top military brass attended a meeting with a Coast Guard admiral who tested positive on Monday for the disease. Officials say the Pentagon is conducting contact tracing and taking appropriate precautions, emphasizing it does not jeopardize national security.

The Pentagon has not said if any of the top leaders have tested positive or if they have symptoms.

JARRETT: Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris square off later tonight in Salt Lake City, at the only vice presidential debate. Vice presidential debates typically aren't expected to move the needle for voters. However, President Trump's coronavirus diagnosis puts tonight's debate in sharper focus.

Voters will get a closer look at the person they are electing to be second in line should something happen to the commander-in-chief.

CNN's Ryan Nobles has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN NOBLES, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Laura and Christine, against all odds, it looks as though the vice presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Mike Pence is actually going to take place today. This despite hiccups, of course, the biggest one being President Trump's coronavirus diagnosis. That really throw things into peril last week, but Vice President Pence and Senator Harris have both tested negative for the coronavirus for the last couple of days. So, both sides feel safe they're going to be able to pull this debate off.

Now, they are going to take a number of safety precautions, and that did cause a bit of controversy on Tuesday. The Harris camp asking that in addition to moving the candidates further apart from 7 feet to 12 feet, that two plexiglass barriers also be placed, one in front of Senator Harris, the other in front of Vice President Pence.

Now, initially, the Pence camp said if Harris wants one in front of her, she can have that, but they weren't interested in putting one up in front of Vice President Pence. But they acquiesced eventually last Tuesday night. But sides agreed to have both barriers put in place. And so, everything is on track and this looks like the debate is going to happen.

The other thing we should point out in terms of safety precautions in the debate hall, every single person that will be inside that debate hall will be required to wear a mask. Now, that was the standard in Cleveland you'll remember but there were folks from the Trump side, including members of the Trump family that chose not to wear the masks despite that being the requirement.

So, everything changing now because of the positive diagnosis for President Trump and, of course, there are concerns among Democrats of Vice President Pence's exposure. But the fact that he's been able to have these negative tests over the past couple of days is going to be the key in allowing this debate to go forward on Wednesday night -- Laura and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JARRETT: All right. Ryan, thank you for that.

Tonight is the night, the only vice presidential debate of 2020. CNN's special coverage starts tonight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

ROMANS: The second presidential debate is still scheduled to take place one week from tomorrow in Miami. Joe Biden plans to be there if the medical experts are on board.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: If he still has COVID, we shouldn't have a debate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: For the debate to move forward, Biden insists very strict guidelines will have to be followed. He says he'll be guided by the protocols of the Cleveland Clinic, which is advising the Commission on Presidential Debates.

JARRETT: Well, back at the White House, still infected with coronavirus, President Trump again made the false claim on Twitter on Tuesday that COVID-19 is far less lethal than the flu.

That's not true. In reality last year, the flu killed 22,000 Americans. You can see the data there going back to 2015 on that chart. Meantime, the U.S. is nearing 211,000 people killed by this virus some ten months into 2020.

CNN's Erica Hill has more on the virus hotspots across the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERICA HILL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This bustling New York neighborhood, one of nine hot spots in the city.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do think there's fatigue. I think it's been a long six months.

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: COVID isn't tired. The virus isn't tired. The virus still energetic and strong enough to kill you.

HILL: Governor Andrew Cuomo announcing new statewide measures for areas limiting gatherings, closing non-essential businesses and schools. Three hundred have already closed in those New York City hot spots.

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: We have to get ahead of this.

HILL: New York among the 22 states reporting an uptick of new cases over the past week and one of five with an increase of more than 50 percent.

MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH AND POLICY, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: There are a number of us who fear that over the next 6 to 12 weeks we could see a very substantial increase in COVID-19 cases that would far surpass even the peak that we saw earlier this summer.

HILL: Alaska, Utah, and Kentucky, just saw their highest seven-day average of new cases. Governor Andy Beshear urging his state to mask up.

[05:10:04]

GOVERNOR ANDY BESHEAR (D), KENTUCKY: Now's our test. Test of values. Test of fate. Are we willing to live for other people?

HILL: The CDC updating its guidance again, adding information about airborne spread, guidance it posted it and then removed last month, hospitalizations hitting record highs in a half dozen states.

JOHN LOWE, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER: This is potentially a perfect storm for Nebraska.

HILL: The FDA posting new guidance for manufacturers, which shows little chance any will receive emergency use authorization before the election. But first, submitting an application, they'll need at least two months of follow-up data after volunteers get their second dose of a trial vaccine.

DR. FRANCIS COLLINS, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: Even though I know there's a great deal of anxiety about mischief here, it would be pretty darn hard for mischief to derail this process.

HILL: A new "Axios"/Ipsos poll finds 21 percent of people are more likely to wear masks after the president's positive diagnosis. The science tells us they save lives, making this defiant photo-op all the more upsetting.

FIANA GARZA TULIP, MOTHER DIED OF CORONAVIRUS IN JULY: It was the cruelest visual yet. Yesterday's tweet was the cruelest tweet yet and I truly do wonder how many people he killed with his actions yesterday.

DR. PETER HOTEZ, DEAN, NATIONAL SCHOOL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: How we behave over the next few months will determine whether we have 270,000 dead Americans by the end of this year or over 400,000. The president has sent the message to the American people, let's go for the 400,000 number.

HILL (on camera): We're still learning so much about this virus. New research shows 80 percent of patients who require hospitalization develop neurological symptoms which range from headaches and muscle pains to altered brain function. The study also found that those who develop neurological symptoms spend more time in the hospital.

In New York, I'm Erica Hill, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. So, Democratic nominee Joe Biden uses Gettysburg as his backdrop in a call for unity. We'll hear from him, next.

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[05:16:11]

JARRETT: Welcome back.

Joe Biden calling for unity at a speech at Gettysburg on Tuesday. The former VP said the United States has become a dangerous place and he warned about the cost of division during a pandemic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Wearing a mask is not a political statement. It's a scientific recommendation. Social distancing isn't a political statement, it's a scientific recommendation.

This pandemic is not a red state or blue state issue. This virus doesn't care where you live, what political party you belong to. It infects us all.

It will take anyone's life. It's a virus. It's not a political weapon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: At the Civil War battlefield, Biden also invoked the words of Abraham Lincoln reminding the nation that a house divided cannot stand.

We get more now from CNN's Jessica Dean.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Laura and Christine, former Vice President Joe Biden speaking from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday with a plea for unity to return to bipartisanship. These are familiar themes for Vice President Biden that we've heard on the campaign trail time and time against since he launched back in April of 2019.

But it really returned back to his core belief that this election is a battle for the soul of a nation.

And so, giving the speech here in Gettysburg was very intentional on the part of the Biden campaign. Biden himself saying that he worked and worked and worked on this speech trying to get it right. He even made note of being here in Gettysburg saying that once again we find our house divided, a nod to Abraham Lincoln there, and that it cannot be, that we are simply facing too many crises.

Have a listen for yourself.

BIDEN: It cannot be that here and now in 2020, we will -- we will allow the government of the people, by the people, and for the people to perish on this earth. No, it cannot and it must not.

DEAN: Vice President Biden also touching on the COVID crisis, really making a call for unity on that as well, talking about the need for a mask mandate. He also touched on the economy.

A lot of things we've heard from him on the campaign trail. In the end, this was really a speech about bipartisanship, about Americans coming together. A familiar refrain we've heard from him as well, that he promises to be a president for all-Americans, not just the ones who voted for him.

It also came on a day when Biden saw his widest lead yet in polling. The CNN poll showing a 16 point lead for Biden over President Trump among likely voters nationally -- Laura and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Jessica, thank you so much for that.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama releasing a powerful closing argument video for Joe Biden, less than a month before Election Day. In it, she called the president's response to the pandemic incompetent and called the president's actions, quote, racist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY: So what the president is doing is once again patently false. It's morally wrong and, yes, it is racist. But that doesn't mean it won't work because this is a difficult time, a confusing time, and when people hear these lies and crazy conspiracies repeated over and over and over again, they don't know what to think.

And the one thing this president is really, really good at is using fear and confusion and spreading lies to win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Mrs. Obama implored people to search their hearts and their conscience and then vote for Joe Biden like their lives depend on it.

JARRETT: You know, she was known as the closer for her husband's campaign.

ROMANS: Right.

JARRETT: You can see Biden trying to use that as well to his advantage in this race.

All right. LeBron James now just one win away from his fourth career NBA title.

[05:20:04]

The "Bleacher Report" is next.

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ROMANS: All right. The L.A. Lakers are now one win away from capturing their 17th NBA championship.

Andy Scholes has more on this morning's "Bleacher Report".

Good morning, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine.

You know, LeBron James, he's pretty frustrated after game three's loss. He even walked off the floor before the game was fully over. So, you knew he was going to come out in game four with a man on a mission. He called this the biggest of his entire career.

And he actually texted all of his teammates yesterday afternoon saying this game was a must-win.

[05:25:04]

We need to play like it. Fourth quarter, look at LeBron squeezed the defender and just the bucket plus the foul. He led the Lakers, 28 points, 12 rebounds.

This game was tied in the closing minutes. That's when Anthony Davis hit that three there with 40 seconds left, put the game away for the Lakers. They win 102-96. LeBron has the chance to capture his fourth title Friday night.

All right. In the meantime, Seattle Storm winning the WNBA title for the second time in three years. They blew out Las Vegas, 92-59 to complete the sweep in the bubble there in Bradenton, Florida.

Breanna Stewart scoring 26 points on the way to her second finals MVP, completing an incredible comeback from the ruptured Achilles tendon that forced her to miss all of 2019. She says she's proud of her journey back but prouder of her team for fighting through the difficulties they faced this season.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BREANNA STEWART, WNBA, FINALS MVP: It wasn't easy in a whole bunch of different areas, you know, with the coronavirus, with the social injustices going on in this country, with the day to day being here stuck in the bubble. Our team is resilient. We continue to keep going no matter what's going on and I'm super proud to kind of be a part of this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yeah. Wearing those goggles to block out the champagne, turn of celebration.

Now, baseball's postseason continuing with all four division (INAUDIBLE) Astros continue to be red hot. George Springer homered twice as Houston beat the A's 5-2. The Astros now one win away from their fourth straight American League Championship Series.

The Rays meanwhile getting even in their series with the Yankees. They had four home runs and Tyler Glasnow's struck out. And Tampa wins 7-5 to even that series at a game apiece.

Game three of those American League Series, they can be seen today on our sister network TBS beginning at 4:30 eastern.

Game 2s in the NL also set for today. The Dodgers and Braves take the first games of those series yesterday.

All right. Finally, the Packers not going to be having fans at Lambeau Field for the foreseeable future. The team saying they won't reopen until there's a significant decline in COVID cases and hospitalizations in the Green Bay area.

Now, Brown County, where the Packers play, they put up a public health emergency over the weekend. The team had hoped to have fans at the next home game against the Vikings on November 3rd. That's not going to happen.

Now, in the meantime, you know, baseball hasn't had fans all season (INAUDIBLE), the NLCS World Series there in Arlington, Texas, will be having about 10,000 fans when those series happen. Tickets went on sale for the World Series yesterday and sold out in under an hour.

JARRETT: Wow, under an hour. No cardboard cutouts for them.

SCHOLES: Yeah.

JARRETT: All right. Thanks so much, Andy. Nice to see you.

All right. Tonight, Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris get a chance to make their case directly to the American people. What to expect when they take the debate stage, that's next.

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