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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Trump Returns To Campaign Trail With Casual Attitude Toward COVID; Biden Heads To Florida As Democrats Look To Flip Battlegrounds; Johnson & Johnson Pauses Coronavirus Vaccine Trial. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired October 13, 2020 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[05:31:17]
LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Surviving a deadly pandemic seems to mean only more of the same from this president. Basic safety protocols ignored at his return to the campaign trail. Other Republicans still following his lead.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, trials for a promising coronavirus vaccine put on hold. Why and what it means for broader efforts to fight the virus.
JARRETT: Good morning, this is EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.
SANCHEZ: And I'm Boris Sanchez in for Christine Romans. We are 31 minutes past the hour. Great to see you as always, Laura.
JARRETT: Always great to have you, Boris.
SANCHEZ: Thank you.
JARRETT: So it was just a week ago when the president said he'd learned a lot from his own battle with coronavirus. He said he had been to school.
But you wouldn't know it if you saw his return to the campaign trail in Florida yesterday. It was a packed rally with few masks and no real social distancing. Another potential super-spreader event for this president launching a last-ditch effort to turn around his struggling campaign.
He has a rally in Pennsylvania today as he and Vice President Mike Pence head to states that they need to keep on their side, some of which have been reliably red.
Also red, 33 states headed in the wrong direction with cases increasing as colder months approach now and more people stay indoors. Also, keep this in mind. It's not just asymptomatic cases we're seeing. The number of people in the hospital hasn't been this high in more than a month.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: I hope these numbers that you're quoting, which are absolutely correct numbers, jolt the American public into the realization that we really cannot let this happen because it's on a trajectory of getting worse and worse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: The president is not alone when it comes to a casual attitude toward COVID-19, including the governor of Florida high- fiving people at the president's rally, his chief of staff Mark Meadows refusing to wear a mask to speak with reporters. And a senator who actually had COVID, Utah's Mike Lee, going maskless at Monday's Supreme Court confirmation hearing. All of them acting like a pandemic that's killed 20 -- that's killed 215,000 Americans is just a memory.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins has more from the White House.
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KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Laura and Boris.
It was only hours before this rally that President Trump's doctor actually announced that he had tested negative for coronavirus -- the first time we have been told that since, of course, the president's diagnosis. And in this memo, Dr. Sean Conley said the president had tested negative for consecutive days using a rapid test, though he didn't say which days it was that the president had actually tested negative.
And we know that the White House has declined to say when the president last tested negative before his diagnosis, something that Conley made no mention of in his memo.
But this memo came out just hours before the president took the stage in Florida. He was there and spoke for a little over 65 minutes or so. And at times, he sounded hoarse. But at others, he talked about his diagnosis with coronavirus and said that he felt powerful and talked about what his recovery has been like. And, of course, as he's been doing now, claimed that he is immune.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I went through it. Now they say I'm immune.
I can feel -- I feel so powerful, I would walk into that audience. I'll walk in there and I'll kiss everyone in that audience. I'll kiss the guys and the beautiful women and the -- everybody. I'll just give you a big fat kiss.
COLLINS: Of course, we know science says that what the determination on immunity is and how long it lasts is still very much out despite the way the president is spinning his own health.
And though he tried to talk about coronavirus as if it was in his past, we know it's at the top of mind for voters. And it even appeared to be so for some of the president's own advisers, including his chief of staff who does not typically wear a mask but was seen wearing a mask on this trip yesterday only hours after he refused to take questions from reporters on Capitol Hill because they asked him to keep his mask on.
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[05:35:14]
SANCHEZ: Kaitlan Collins, thanks for that.
Just one day after President Trump was in the Sunshine State, Joe Biden heads to Florida today. He stopped in Ohio on Monday. It's part of a major push by Biden and his wife Jill to flip all these states that went to Trump in 2016. You'll notice Texas is on that map.
The former vice president now going a bit further on his answers about packing the Supreme Court. He told CNN affiliate WKRC he is not a fan of court-packing, but he says the burden is actually on Republicans who are pushing through the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett just days before an election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: The imbalance in the court is a debate that's going on now. What I want to focus on -- they're court- packing right now. And what's going on now is just an all outright effort to do away with health care. That's what it's all about right now -- health care.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: A challenge to the Affordable Care Act goes before the Supreme Court right after the election.
JARRETT: All right, 21 days to the election. It's time for three questions in three minutes. Let's bring in CNN's senior political analyst, John Avlon. John, great to have you this morning.
SANCHEZ: Good morning, sir.
JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning.
JARRETT: So I think we're seeing something of a role reversal. Biden on the offense -- he's not in the basement anymore -- Trump on the defense, obviously after battling COVID. Will seeing more of Trump on the trail win back his support as he hopes or is it going to hurt the campaign?
AVLON: Sometimes Trump has done better when he recedes. But look, in general in politics, the best defense is a good offense. And even though Joe Biden's got a lead in the polls, he wants to be playing offense and that's important because you can't take anything for granted in life and especially in presidential elections. Donald Trump feeling that same urgency. Him getting out to play to the base I think is as much about getting the energy of the crowds to validate himself as anything else. But he wants to be out there -- they both do. Three weeks to go, folks. This is not a drill.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
I want to take a quick look at this map of where the candidates are going. I think we have it ready. It tells you where the race is --
AVLON: Yes.
SANCHEZ: -- right now. Trump and Pence going to states that they want to hold on to that went red in 2016. Places like Florida, Ohio, North Carolina. Biden looking to flip those states.
When you look at this map what stands out to you, John?
AVLON: I mean, it tells you everything you need to know. You want to find the truth in politics, follow the money or follow the candidates. And just the fact that Trump and Pence are trying to lock down states they won last time around when Biden and his wife are going to states that Republicans won -- and these are states, in some cases, that are real ambitious. They're long balls -- Georgia --
SANCHEZ: Texas.
AVLON: -- and Texas.
But, Vice President Biden focusing on Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida. Those are the ambitious must-wins (ph). It says everything you need to know about the tenor of the race. Biden trying to reach out and flip things that Republicans won last time around. Republicans desperately trying to hold on to states they won last time around.
JARRETT: Yes. Beto O'Rourke, I know, making a big push that Biden can actually win Texas this time, especially if he goes to the state. We'll see if that happens.
So, voter enthusiasm, thankfully, is sky-high right now but access is becoming a real problem as it always has, actually.
AVLON: Yes.
JARRETT: So a federal court judge has now decided that Texas can actually limit drop boxes to one per county and voters we're seeing -- they're being met with long lines when they're trying to vote early.
So how are Democrats supposed to get out the vote when it's getting harder and harder? And I say Democrats because these are in states that have Republican strongholds that are making explicit inroads trying to cut access.
AVLON: Yes, and the problem is you've got a history of explicitly long lines, particularly in urban centers.
JARRETT: Right.
AVLON: So -- but what you're seeing right there is Georgia. There are folks who waited in line almost 10 hours -- and this is the first day of voting, to be fair. But in no other country do you have long lines like this to exercise your right to vote. But folks did because they want their vote to count.
In Texas, what you're seeing is a -- is a court upholding Greg -- Gov. Abbott's decision to reduce these drop-off boxes to one per county. Counties in Texas are huge. Harris County, Houston -- one county, one drop-off box. It's hard to see that as anything other than limiting.
California, the GOP getting in trouble with these bespoke drop-off boxes that are in violation of the law.
Bottom line, whatever party you are or whoever you want to vote for, go out and vote. Do it early if you can. The lines are only going to be worse on Election Day. But don't let the system deter you from exercising your right to vote.
SANCHEZ: Yes, that Texas decision is really striking when you consider -- you mentioned counties, the sizes of them. Tens of millions of people live in these counties --
JARRETT: Yes.
SANCHEZ: -- and they're only supposed to use one drop box.
AVLON: Yes.
SANCHEZ: It is really surprising.
AVLON: Bonkers.
SANCHEZ: John Avlon, thank you so much for getting up bright and early for us. We appreciate it.
AVLON: Take care, guys.
JARRETT: Great to see you.
[05:40:00]
SANCHEZ: President Trump's return to the campaign trail coinciding with rising alarm among Republicans. CNN has learned GOP candidates are increasingly worried about the president's unpopularity hurting them down-ballot.
CNN has also learned that Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell recently told lobbyists that Democrats are on fire.
Both parties are using the Supreme Court hearings as a way to drive voter turnout. Judge Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearings resume today with a first round of questions.
Democrats acknowledge there's nothing they can do to stop her confirmation so they're focusing on the Affordable Care Act. Lawmaker after lawmaker holding up pictures of constituents who they say could be harmed if Obamacare is overturned.
Republicans believe Barrett is qualified and they are all-in to get her on the court.
CNN's full coverage of the hearing begins at 9:00 a.m.
JARRETT: All right.
Bank makes -- banks make billions on overdraft fees but a Joe Biden presidency could end that.
Overdraft fees are one of the things consumers hate the most. The industry brings in more than $11 billion worth each year and critics say the most vulnerable among us are the ones that are punished. Data shows just nine percent of accounts pay a staggering 79 percent of all fees.
Analysts say Biden and his appointed regulators, if he should win the presidency, will likely mean restrictions on how often banks can charge overdraft fees. Biden hasn't explicitly said he'll take action on them but the Democratic nominee has called for rolling back President Trump's corporate tax cuts.
SANCHEZ: We're following some breaking news overnight.
Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson pausing the clinical trial of its coronavirus vaccine because of an unexplained illness in one of the study's volunteers. The vaccine requires just one dose, so federal officials were hoping it would be ready a bit faster. The trial is studying one of six vaccines being tested in the U.S. and one of four that are in the final stage.
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DR. ASHISH JHA, DEAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: The Johnson & Johnson trial is the biggest trial of the vaccine that I know of -- 60,000 people. Within that trial, you'd expect a few pauses. So on one hand, they're right -- this is completely expected. And it's just a reminder of how ridiculous it is to try to meet a political timeline of having a vaccine before November third.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: November third, of course, being Election Day. Now, President Trump had been pressing to unveil a vaccine before then.
This is the second phase-three COVID vaccine trial to be paused in the U.S. so far. AstraZeneca's trial was paused last month after a British volunteer experienced some complications. That trial resumed in the U.K. and elsewhere but it remains on hold in the U.S.
SANCHEZ: For the first time in almost two months the U.S. had at least 40,000 coronavirus cases a day for a full week. On the flip side, one city in China recorded just 12 cases. But that was enough to fast-track millions of tests to try and prevent any spread.
CNN has the pandemic covered around the world.
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DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm David Culver in Beijing.
China's government now testing millions of people for COVID-19 after only a handful or so tested positive for the virus in the city of Chengdu. This latest cluster outbreak has led to health officials testing all of the city's roughly nine million residents.
On Tuesday, authorities announced they've already tested more than three million people and they've processed about a million of those tests. They claim no new confirmed cases have surfaced.
This follows last week's major travel holiday here and if the numbers spike, it could challenge China's strict containment efforts.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Paula Hancocks in Seoul.
From today, South Korea is making mask-wearing mandatory across the country on all public transport. These are rules that had already been in place in the capital, Seoul, and other cities but also now across the country in places like cafes and restaurants when you're not eating and drinking. Medical facilities and rallies, you have to wear a mask.
There will be a 30-day grace period but from November 13th, if you're caught not wearing a mask or wearing it incorrectly, you could be fined the equivalent of $87.
Now it comes at the same time as social distancing rules have been relaxed across the country. From now on, churches and sporting events can have a 30 percent capacity.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I'm Nic Robertson in London where the British prime minister is facing pushback from the government's scientific advisers.
After the prime minister's press conference Monday night where he announced new lockdown measures for the country, they released minutes of a meeting from three weeks ago where they recommended the government back then take tougher measures. This indicates they're not satisfied with the measures the prime minister is taking now, indeed.
England's chief medical officer said at that press conference Monday night that the measures that the government is taking right now alone do not go far enough.
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SANCHEZ: Thanks to all of our correspondents for those reports.
Hey, stay with EARLY START. We'll be right back.
[05:45:00]
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JARRETT: Welcome back.
New this morning, Russia reporting another record-high increase in coronavirus cases driven by surges in Moscow. Russia has the fourth- most cases in the world now. Now the Kremlin is threatening additional measures to slow the pandemic even though it claims to have a safe vaccine.
Senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen is live for us in Moscow. Fred, what's the latest?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Laura.
Well, it clearly shows that the Russian vaccine, Sputnik V, is not going to be available for the broader public anytime soon. The Russians obviously have a lot of cases right now.
It's quite interesting because the Moscow mayor -- he came out here only two days ago and he said look, he believes that a vaccine will be available on an industrial scale, which is obviously a large scale, in a couple of months. But before that, he said Moscow and Russia really need to get through this time without any major losses.
[05:50:04]
And you just mentioned another record day in new cases here in Russia -- 13,868 cases in a span of 24 hours. And really, the hardest-hit place in this country, by far, continues to be right where I am right now -- the Russian capital of Moscow. Four thousand six hundred cases there.
Now, the Russian authorities are saying that this week is absolutely crucial to determine whether new tough measures are going to be put in place. Right now, they are still saying they don't believe that a national lockdown is going to be necessary but they do say that there could be some additional measures just to make sure that the numbers go down somewhat.
Of course, they're also urging people to stick by the anti-pandemic measures like mask-wearing and physical distancing as well, as once again, that vaccine for the broader public not going to be available anytime soon, Laura.
JARRETT: Yes, I know they had been really hopeful while all along they've been waiting to see whether it would actually come to fruition.
All right, Fred, nice to see you this morning. Thanks.
SANCHEZ: Princeton University agreeing to pay nearly $1 million to female professors to resolve claims of pay discrimination. A labor -- a Department of Labor investigation found that between 2012 and 2014, 106 full-time female professors were paid less than their male colleagues. The university will also pay at least $250,000 in future salary adjustments.
JARRETT: Well, Facebook says it will now ban content that denies the Holocaust. The social network says its decision is supported by the well-documented rise in anti-Semitism, especially among young people.
The move also reverses CEO Mark Zuckerberg's decision in 2018 not to remove such posts because he didn't think users were intentionally getting it wrong, in his words.
SANCHEZ: A sad development to share with you this morning. Roberta McCain, mother of the late Sen. John McCain, has passed away at the age of 108. The matriarch of the McCain family was a frequent presence on the campaign trail back in 2008.
McCain's widow, Cindy, says, quote, "I couldn't have asked for a better role model or a better friend."
JARRETT: Certainly thinking of her family today.
Well, young more -- young Americans are choosing not to drink alcohol. That's according to a new study. Between 2002 and 2018, the number of college students who abstained from alcohol increased from 20 to 28 percent. As for why, the study's authors point to more young adults living with their parents, as well as alcohol abuse prevention efforts that have targeted college students.
All right, taking a look at markets around the world. Asian markets closed higher. European markets have opened lower.
On Wall Street, futures are mixed ahead of a third-quarter earnings report from Delta today. Stocks closed higher Monday led by a rally in tech stocks.
Well, Disney is set to overhaul its entertainment business, putting center -- Disney + at the center, I should say. The company announced a major reorganization Monday to further accelerate its streaming strategy. A new group will now oversee operations of Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+.
Disney+ has thrived during this pandemic while, at the same time, Disney's films have been delayed and its parks and resorts closed for months, leading to massive layoffs.
After weeks of delays, Apple is expected to announce its new iPhone later today. The iPhone 12 is expected to have 5G capabilities. That could unleash a super cycle of upgrades.
But not everyone will be able to take advantage of 5G right away. 5G is still in the process of being rolled out and services using the faster speeds are still relatively limited.
Investors will be watching Amazon as it kicks off Prime Day, it's version of Black Friday, today. The two-day event usually takes place in July but it was postponed, of course, because of the pandemic. This marks the first time the event will happen in the fourth quarter, essentially reshaping the holiday shopping calendar.
Other retailers have responded in-kind, announcing large-scale deals today to compete with the event.
SANCHEZ: The South Korean boy band BTS making history on the music charts. The group landing at number one and number two on the Billboard Hot 100 with the "Savage Love" remix and "Dynamite." The K- pop sensation is the first group to achieve the feat since the Black Eyed Peas did it back in 2009.
JARRETT: All right. And finally today, here's one for you. A Canadian tourist has returned artifacts that she stole from Pompeii 15 years ago, hoping to reverse a curse. The woman sent pieces of a mosaic, a clay vase, and a ceramic wall, and a letter of confession to a travel agent in Pompeii.
Since taking the items, she says she's suffered two bouts of breast cancer and financial troubles. She noted the artifacts have negative energy because of the horrible way people died in the huge eruption of 79 A.D. The woman apologized for stealing, explaining she was young and dumb.
[05:55:06]
I guess it's never too late to make amends, Boris.
SANCHEZ: This whole year, Laura, we've been trying to figure out why everything is going wrong in 2020. And this whole time it was Nicole -- it was Nicole.
JARRETT: I'm glad she returned them.
SANCHEZ: Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Boris Sanchez.
JARRETT: I'm Laura Jarrett. "NEW DAY" is next.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A new warning as new cases nationally are up 40 percent.
FAUCI: I hope these numbers jolt the American public because it's on a trajectory of getting worse and worse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Johnson & Johnson is now the second drugmaker to pause human trials for the coronavirus vaccine.
JHA: You'd expect a few pauses. We've got to let the process play out.
