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New Day

Coronavirus Cases Rising in U.S.; Trump Backtracks after Markets Tumble; Hurricane Bears Down on Mexico; A Key North Carolina Senate Race Upended. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired October 07, 2020 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

WILLIAM HASELTINE, CHAIR AND PRESIDENT, ACCESS HEALTH INTERNATIONAL: Be 300,000 to 400,000 people dead by the end of the winter is not an fantasy, it's an unfortunate reality if we don't behave as the scientists and medical experts tell us.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: I mean, and, of course, the White House is just a microcosm of this. What we're seeing -- the White House is now a hot spot. It's having an outbreak because people there scoffed at wearing masks. They were belittled if they wore a mask in front of the president. And so you just look at that, that's exhibit a, and then you look at what's happening in the country. And even places -- I mean I'm very concerned when I look at this map because even places that had licked the problem in the summer, I'm thinking of the northeast, now are back in the red and orange.

HASELTINE: That's exactly right. And that's where I live in the northeast. I have grandchildren going to school. It's extremely concerning. Parts of New York are shutting down, the Bronx, parts of Queens, parts of Brooklyn. This is a serious issue, even in the part of the United States which takes this most seriously.

And other countries are being shut down all together. Look at Israel. Israel is going into lockdown.

So this is a serious issue that we've got to get control of.

And in terms of what's happened at the White House, it's not just that they're victims, they're perpetrators.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Professor Haseltine, I want your take on what I think is a pretty important development overnight, which is that the FDA won. They won in what ended up being a political battle with the White House. The FDA wanted new guidelines from Emergency Use Authorization of the vaccine. Whatever vaccine comes out first. The FDA wanted to have there be a two-month minimum waiting period between the date when people in the trials received their second dose and when Emergency Use Authorization was considered.

The White House was standing in the way of that, but all of a sudden, overnight, we learned that the FDA won this battle and there will be that delay, which effectively means there won't be vaccine approval before the election. But I don't think that's what's important here. What's important here is the science. Explain why you think this is a good thing.

HASELTINE: Well, there's been a back and forth over who is in charge of our health policy. Who is going to really make the recommendations? Is it the CDC? Will the FDA follow its normal procedures? And this is the first time I've seen that these agencies have stood up and resisted very clearly administration pressure.

Let's take the CDC. They now have just reissued their warning that this virus is transmitted by aerosols. That's more than droplets. That means it hangs in the air for a long period of time. And if you're in the room with somebody more than 15 minutes, you're at risk. That was under question.

You've just mentioned the caution over doing long-term follow-up for people who've received the vaccine. That's a normal safety recommendation the FDA had been pushing. They'd been pushing back. And now it looks like they have resolved it.

Now, whether it's going to be resolved or whether even now those recommendations will be overridden once again is a question before the election. I don't think the battle's over, but at least we're seeing the heads of our agencies standing up and pushing back for what they know and have always known is right.

BERMAN: Professor, as always, thank you for putting this all in perspective for us. Please stay safe.

HASELTINE: You're welcome. Thank you.

BERMAN: So, this morning, a widow speaking out after President Trump's comments that downplayed the coronavirus. Amanda Kloots is the widow of Broadway star Nick Cordero. He died in July at age 41 after a months-long battle with coronavirus. Kloots spoke exclusively with Chris Cuomo last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMANDA KLOOTS, THEATER ACTOR AND WIDOW OF NICK CORDERO: It broke my heart. It -- it -- it was like a gut punch, bringing back all of the -- the -- everything we went through.

The -- you know, the flippant comments, "don't be afraid"? You know, we were afraid every single day. We were afraid for our lives. We were afraid for Nick's life. And then, you know, you're afraid for the world. To tell somebody to not be afraid of this disease that took a life, that took over 200,000 lives, it took over a million lives, God, it just -- you know, it -- like a dagger in the heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: You know, we've heard from others, too, the impact of the president's words on how much it hurts to be told, essentially, that somehow that they're weak. They fought so hard -- right, Nick Cordero fought so hard to stay alive. [06:35:02]

Amanda Kloots did.

CAMEROTA: And so many people were following his battle and praying for him and pulling for him. And he had it so bad. And the idea that the president could cavalierly tell just even one family, don't be afraid, don't let it change your life, get back out there! I mean and then there's, as she points out, just in America, 210,000 families in that same boat.

BERMAN: All right, so the chair of the Federal Reserve has issued a dire warning about the economy. And he did it hours before the president did exactly what the Fed chair warned against. So where are we? How likely are you to get the economic help that you and so many Americans need? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: Developing overnight, President Trump appearing to backtrack hours after abruptly ending negotiations for aid that is desperately needed by millions of Americans. That announcement came after Federal Reserve Chief Jerome Powell warned of an economic downward spiral.

Joining us now, Christine Romans, CNN chief business correspondent and anchor of CNN's "EARLY START," and Julia Chatterley, anchor of "FIRST MOVE" on CNN International.

[06:40:07]

Great to see both of you.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi.

CAMEROTA: Hi.

Christine, help us parse what the president was saying. At 2:48 yesterday afternoon, he said, he had told his representatives to stop negotiating until after the election. OK. Then, eight hours later, less, seven and a half, he says, the House and Senate should immediately approval $25 billion for airline payroll support and $135 billion for Paycheck Protection Program for small business.

So which one is it?

ROMANS: Is it erratic. It is irrational. It is out of touch. This is a president who effectively canceled stimulus talks that were probably going to fail anyway and then said, I'll take the blame for all of the economic hardship that that will cause. You know, the Fed chief, earlier in the day, saying, we need more stimulus now to help households heal and to help small business. It's needed urgently. And the president said, no, we don't need it. The economy is doing great. The stock market's at record highs. We don't need any new stimulus now. We'll do it next year and we're going to focus on the Supreme Court nomination. It just -- it completely defies any kind of political advantage the president would try to get here. It just doesn't make any sense. It's the president saying, I'll take the blame for ending negotiations and it just -- I literally have no -- I just can't understand why he would do it.

BERMAN: Well, again, he's negotiating with himself now and losing in the negotiation with himself, Julia. And the politics of it is interesting to a lot of people. People trying to figure out what the president's thinking I know is interesting. But the bottom line is, there are millions of people hurting. There are millions of people who need economic relief. There are businesses that will not be able to stay open past Election Day without the money that they're not going to get.

JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: I am overwhelmed on a daily basis by surveys saying 15 percent of small businesses saying they can't make it past the end of this month if they don't get more federal help, 35 percent of businesses say they won't survive beyond the end of the year. Individuals, we know, you guys talk about it all the time, one in seven families simply can't feed their families properly on a weekly basis.

This should be the message that lawmakers take into every single negotiation here. I mean the president's behavior is inexcusable. It's 50 degrees of chaos. He's got Covid. He's got access to social media. He's been taking and is taking drugs. The result is this. It's tone deaf and it's inexcusable.

But you know what these people that are suffering need now, guys, is transparency. What's so unpalatable about the Democrats $2.2 trillion deal that they won't sign it? For the Democrats, what's wrong with agreeing $1.3 trillion or whatever the Republicans are putting on the table and then winning the election and coming back and doing more? All the people in America now and those that are suffering most need transparency and they need an explanation and they need a compromised deal. Nothing else matters.

CAMEROTA: I mean, Christine, as Julia points out, President Trump is inconsistent and impulsive on a good day.

ROMANS: Yes.

CAMEROTA: OK. And so now, given that he's on steroids, we think, given that he's still fighting the virus, it's impossible to know what will happen today. And we have regular people coming up --

ROMANS: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Who are hanging on by their fingernails. What do we tell them today?

ROMANS: I think it's pretty clear from all of this, the president doesn't understand what's happening to real families. You've heard us talk about this k-shaped recovery. President Trump's friends and family and people he knows, people who are CEOs and people who are business leaders, they're doing fine on their own. They're -- they've recovered. But the rest of the country hasn't. Airline workers and hotel workers and people who own small businesses

are really suffering, in a way I've never seen before in my lifetime. And the president doesn't feel that pain.

One place where he has been consistent, guys, is on his disdain for any money going to state and local aid here. You know, these states have lost all this money because their tax revenues have cratered because of the coronavirus. He doesn't want to give them money.

Ironically, they need that money to pay for things like teachers and police officers. And so you have a president who -- who has said again and again he wants to starve the states of this important emergency funding. That is one of the fault lines here that he has not budge on.

BERMAN: Christine Romans, Julia Chatterley, thank you both for being with us this morning and trying to sort through the confusion as best we all can. Appreciate it.

CAMEROTA: Meanwhile, hundreds evacuating as a category three hurricane bears down on Mexico. We have a live report for you, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:48:51]

BERMAN: Happening now, Hurricane Delta is bearing down on Mexico. It's a category three storm with winds of 120 miles per hour and a life- threatening storm surge.

CNN's Matt Rivers is live in Playa del Carmen, where it is coming down.

Matt, what are you seeing?

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, in the last I would say hour, 90 minutes or so, we're really starting to feel the effects of this hurricane. That as of Monday, we were monitoring in the Mexico City bureau just as a tropical depression. But it was Tuesday morning we woke up and saw just how quickly this storm had intensified going from relatively low winds, you know, to winds that we're now seeing come ashore or about to come ashore here in Playa del Carmen of, you know, a category three hurricane.

It's very intense. The power is out here in Playa del Carmen. It's also out up in Cancun, which is a little bit north of us. And that's where so many people have had to take shelter. Not only tourists, of course, that are here from the United States, but also locals who were just as surprised as meteorologists, as we were, at how fast this storm came ashore.

[06:51:00]

Going into last night, people were -- after sunset were actually still putting up plywood, still scrambling to make preparations for a storm that is much more intense than anybody thought it was going to be. And as the sun comes up later on today here in Playa del Carmen, in Cancun, we're going to have to see what kind of damage this storm brings with it, very high winds, concentrated winds.

And, John, you might be looking at what we're going through here, this could be a preview of what could come in the United States in just a few days, because this storm, when it crosses the Yucatan Peninsula, will eventually arrive in the southern part of the United States.

John.

BERMAN: Yes, it is a strong storm.

Matt Rivers, you and your crew, please stay safe and keep us posted.

So a coronavirus diagnosis and a sexting scandal. Quite a combination in one of the Senate races that could tip the balance of power. We have live report, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:55:05]

CAMEROTA: This morning, a critical Senate race in North Carolina thrown into chaos. The Republican incumbent, Thom Tillis, has tested positive for coronavirus and is in quarantine, while Democratic challenger, Cal Cunningham, deals with an October surprise of his own.

CNN's Dianne Gallagher is live in Charlotte.

What's the latest here, Dianne?

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Alisyn, look, this is a closely watched Senate race. Both Republicans and Democrats have called North Carolina a must-win. And, here, voters are going to have to decide whether the personal decisions of a candidate are more important or do they need to win control of the Senate?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GALLAGHER (voice over): As the world watched the president, sick with coronavirus, go to the hospital in a helicopter, down in North Carolina, the most expensive Senate race in the country began tumbling into chaos.

EMMA SCHAMBACH, NORTH CAROLINA VOTER: My phone's notifications were going off like crazy.

GALLAGHER: Republican Senator Thom Tillis revealing he too tested positive for Covid-19, just one day after sharing the debate stage with Democrat Cal Cunningham, who, after wishing Tillis well and saying he'd also get tested, dropped a bombshell of his own Friday night, apologizing for sending romantic tests to a woman who is not his wife.

ERIC HEBERLIG, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE: Friday's big news would be big news in any election year. It's unclear how big of an impact it's going to have this year, just because we seem to have big news very regularly. GALLAGHER: Tillis says his diagnosis won't stop him from campaigning

virtually and working to confirm the president's Supreme Court nominee.

SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): I spoke with the president last night. He gave me a call to check in on me. I'm glad to see that he's doing well too. We're ready to get back to work.

GALLAGHER: Considered one of the most vulnerable senators in Washington, Tillis was photographed at a private White House reception for that nominee without a mask, not social distancing. That carelessness didn't seem to affect Republicans CNN met in the tar heel state.

SCHAMBACH: I think that it is to be expected statistically that at some point somebody was going to get sick on the campaign.

LARRY SHAHEEN, JR., REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT: I don't think this is going to make one bit of difference, especially considering what's going on with the Democratic (INAUDIBLE).

GALLAGHER: Cunningham has worked to create an uncontroversial image, while raking in donations and leading in the polls. But right wing website, nationalfile.com, posted screen shots of texts between the married father of two and a California public relations strategist. The Iraq War veteran, who has centered his campaign on character, called the woman, quote, historically sexy, writing, would make my day to roll over and kiss you about now. The messages weren't dated, but he referenced being nervous about the next 100 days, suggesting they may have been sent during the campaign.

HEBERLIG: Certainly I think the greater risk is for Cunningham and the sexting news in his case. He's been presenting himself as an all- American good guy. This could undercut that image.

GALLAGHER: In a statement sent to CNN, Cunningham said, I have hurt my family, disappointed my friends, and am deeply sorry. He has not appeared publicly since he addressed the texts on Friday. He asked that his family's privacy be respected, but noted he's not dropping out.

And while Republican consultants think that this is the opportunity to sway still undecided voters --

SHAHEEN: I would not be hitting the fact that he had an affair. It would be about can you trust Cal Cunningham? And the question -- the answer to that is unequivocally no.

GALLAGHER: Democrats aren't so sure, saying Cunningham's platform is strong. Plus, they cite President Trump and his own scandals in 2016.

AISHA DEW, DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL STRATEGIST: Well, people still voted for him. They're making decisions about what's happening in the voters' home, in the people's home, and their ability to live and have the access to health care they need, especially during a time like Covid. GALLAGHER: Something voters at a get-out-the-vote event in Charlotte

echoed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think sexting has anything to do with his ability to run anything in office.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See how it did not affect Donald Trump in the -- in the election four years ago.

GALLAGHER: Still, in a state that's been voting for more than a month with nearly 400,000 ballots already accepted, at least one voter told us she is now undecided.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not sure. Too many things happened over the last couple of days.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GALLAGHER Now, Democrats have also been trying to lean on President Trump for something else here in North Carolina that perhaps he'll get the news cycle going and that this will go away. That has not happened. In fact, the sexting scandal has continued to make headlines here, Alisyn. In fact, Republicans are up on the airwaves already with ads and tell me that they don't plant to stop anytime soon. They're going to keep hammering him on it.

CAMEROTA: OK, Dianne, thank you for explaining all of that.

BERMAN: So, I want to put this in a little perspective.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

BERMAN: Today, October 7th, is the four-year anniversary of the "Access Hollywood" tape.

CAMEROTA: Wow.

BERMAN: OK. And I'm only bringing that up because, look, I don't -- I don't know how this will affect the North Carolina Senate race. I'm sure that Cal Cunningham didn't want this to come out before Election Day, and it clearly has. But --

[07:00:03]

CAMEROTA: The language is different in those texts you're saying than what we saw on the "Access Hollywood" tape.

BERMAN: That's -- well, I -- there's that. And I'm just saying, we don't know what's.