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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Trump Pushes Denial As U.S. Cases Return To Summer Levels; Trump And Biden To Appear At Dueling Televised Town Halls Tonight; Germany Hit By Record Spike In New Coronavirus Cases. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired October 15, 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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[05:30:37]
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Progress lost. The coronavirus threat growing again. The nation is in jeopardy; the president is in denial.
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BARACK OBAMA (D), FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Just basic competence can end up saving lives.
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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And, President Obama stepping up to bat for Joe Biden, getting involved in the election. It's not the only big infusion for the Biden campaign, though.
Good morning, thanks so much for joining us. This is EARLY START. I'm Boris Sanchez in for Laura Jarrett.
ROMANS: Nice to see you again this morning, Boris.
SANCHEZ: Thank you.
ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It's 30 minutes past the hour.
A painful reality in the U.S. once again -- almost 60,000 confirmed coronavirus cases yesterday. That's more than we've seen in a single day since August first. Another 985 Americans are dead with trends heading in the wrong direction in almost half the states. At that rate, another 40 families will lose a loved one during just this one- hour broadcast.
SANCHEZ: Still, President Trump remains deeply committed to denial and distraction in order to keep his job.
Also, Melania Trump revealed yesterday that their son Barron also recently tested positive for COVID and fortunately, he's now negative. But his father used that to again downplay the severity of the disease.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He had it for such a short period of time, I don't even think he knew he had it. Because they're young and their immune systems are strong and they fight it off 99.9 percent. And, Barron is beautiful and he's free -- free.
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SANCHEZ: Remember, health experts say children are less likely to become severely ill than adults but they can still become infected and then spread the virus to others.
ROMANS: The CDC now posting an optimistic forecast about vaccines, promising something by the end of 2020.
Dr. Anthony Fauci says we should know in the next few months if a vaccine could be widely available early next year as hoped.
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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: That will likely be within the first quarter of 2021 -- by, let's say, April of 2021. But that would be predicated on the fact that all of the vaccines that are in clinical trials have proven to be safe and effective.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Whenever a safe vaccine is approved, only a few million doses will likely be available at first. And, Fauci says Americans may have to rethink their large family gatherings this Thanksgiving. Remember, the president wanted everyone back in church by Easter.
SANCHEZ: Right.
And looking across the country, COVID cases tied to a northern California megachurch are climbing. Hundreds attended an event at Bethel Church in Redding, even after infections had been confirmed there.
And in North Dakota, they're reporting their highest number of daily cases since the start of the pandemic. This week, the state reporting fewer than 20 staffed ICU beds available.
And with small family gatherings a concern, Beverly Hills has banned trick or treating and spraying shaving cream on Halloween.
ROMANS: All right. Tonight on T.V., it's the election version of anything you can do, I can do better.
President Trump and former vice president Joe Biden participating in dueling town halls after their second debate was canceled. Biden will be appearing on ABC from Philadelphia, the president on NBC from Miami, both at 8:00 p.m.
SANCHEZ: And, Trump is also holding a rally in North Carolina today, but look at this. Early in-person voting has begun and cases are spiking.
He took to the stage last night in Iowa, where cases are also spiking, and he did next to nothing to protect thousands of Iowans in this crowd.
CNN's Jim Acosta is on the ground in Des Moines.
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JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Boris, President Trump staged yet another potential super-spreader event at the Des Moines airport in Iowa with thousands of people on hand. Many in the crowd were not practicing social distancing and they were not wearing masks.
And I had a chance to talk to some of those Trump supporters as they were filing in. They essentially said they're placing their trust more in the president than the top health experts who say they should be playing it safe. And here's some of what they had to say.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I care about people and I don't want to give it to them if there's a chance you might be carrying it around myself. I'm not worried. I figure the sooner we all get it, the sooner we'll be done with it.
ACOSTA: And you don't think that could lead to a lot of people, you know, dying perhaps from the virus if --
[05:35:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the numbers are vastly inflated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't have any concerns at all. You can't live your life in fear and I'm not really scared of this virus. There's all kinds of other viruses out there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, if I'm going to get sick and die, I guess it's my turn. But I trust God and I'm not scared.
ACOSTA: And there were plenty of critics at the president's rally here in the Des Moines area. As we spotted outside the airport where this rally took place, there was a billboard that said "Trump Super- Spreader Event" with an arrow pointing to the rally site -- Christine and Boris.
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ROMANS: All right, Jim Acosta in Iowa. Thanks, Jim.
The Biden campaign finally playing its much-anticipated ace in the hole against President Trump. Barack Obama, interviewed by alums from his administration on their Pod Save America podcast.
The former president telling the show's progressive audience the first priority is winning and then to push for policy changes once Democrats hold the White House. He also talked about the pandemic and how government should be able to respond if you have competent people -- the right people in place.
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OBAMA: Just basic competence can end up saving lives. And so, one thing I would say to anybody who is skeptical about what government can do generally is to just take the example of when we were in office. You might not have been happy with everything I did -- all my policy choices. I didn't, you know, eliminate poverty in America. But when we had a pandemic or the threat of a pandemic, we had competent people in place who would deal with it.
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SANCHEZ: The former president also says that if Joe Biden wins, he will have to rebuild the State Department and the rest of America's foreign policy apparatus.
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OBAMA: It's not as if Trump has been all that active internationally. I mean, the truth is he doesn't have the patience and the focus to really substantially change a lot of U.S. foreign policy. What he's done is he's systematically tried to decimate our entire foreign policy infrastructure.
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SANCHEZ: Now, Obama is expected to be out on the trail campaigning for Biden soon, and notably, in states where early voting is already underway. He's trying to convert enthusiasm into votes.
ROMANS: All right, 19 days until the election. It's time for three questions in three minutes. Let's bring in CNN senior political analyst John Avlon. Nice to see you this morning.
SANCHEZ: Good morning.
JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning.
ROMANS: These dueling town halls tonight -- no debate, just talking about each other on different networks. Does this benefit anyone or does everyone kind of lose focus here by forcing voters to pick?
AVLON: Well look, it certainly divides focus. I mean, certainly, people can tape them and if they want to and can watch them side-by- side. Look, obviously, a double town hall debate would have been much better in terms of the clear contrast for voters.
But, you know, this is -- town halls are actually a tough format for President Trump. Certainly, that was true in the ABC town hall a few weeks ago. Biden tends to do better.
And so, they -- this is the a la carte choice America's got right now. I think it is a loss for the American people. But given the president's previous COVID diagnosis, you know, he took his marbles and went home, so we'll have the final debate together next week. But they'll still be some news that comes out of this.
ROMANS: Yes.
AVLON: Mark my words.
SANCHEZ: Yes, John, some of these numbers in fundraising really jump off the page. A record $383 million raised by Joe Biden in September. Typically, cash equals passion, right, and enthusiasm. Trump has yet to release his September numbers yet but he trailed Biden badly in August after leading the money race in the spring.
Trump campaign folks point to 2016. They say that they ran a relatively barebones campaign and they still won. They're not too worried -- at least they say they're not worried. But should they be concerned?
AVLON: Yes. Look, you want to find the truth in politics, follow the money. When campaigns don't release their fundraising totals it's because they really don't want to.
Look, money isn't everything. Money can't buy you love. Trump's hardcore supporters love him no matter what and he did succeed last time around, electorally, without having a money edge.
But to be contesting this many states he won last time around, while pulling ads -- and the Biden campaign is putting up ads in a lot of states that have seemed pretty safe red in the past -- that's not a good sign no matter how you spin it.
ROMANS: You know, let's talk about the Barack Obama factor -- the former president getting involved. We just heard from him. He's going to hit the trail in the next week or so.
Counterpoint, though. Does Biden need this when he's already kind of ahead? Could Obama polarize a race that's already tilting Biden's way?
AVLON: I don't think that people, like, don't know that Biden was Obama's V.P. I think this is clearly a play to the base move -- out on the campaign trail.
[05:40:01]
ROMANS: Yes.
AVLON: -- a lot of energy -- where, as you pointed out, voting is already going on.
Look, in general, I'd just say one of the key rules to politics is the best defense is a good offense. You always campaign like you're behind. The moment campaigns start worrying about oh, what if we play too hard and alienate some folks, that's when you know you're really losing.
It's an obvious move to make. It's time to make it -- let's go.
ROMANS: All right, John Avlon.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
ROMANS: Nice to see you.
SANCHEZ: Thank you very much, John.
AVLON: Take care, guys.
ROMANS: CNN political analyst. Great conversation.
All right. Millions of Americans need another stimulus package but both sides in Washington more intent, it appears, on blaming each for failure instead of coming together to get this job done.
Meanwhile, real people are struggling. Business owners trying to get creative to survive. Restaurants, including this one in Virginia, expanded outdoor seating by taking over nearby parking spaces in an empty lot. But, of course, colder weather is coming. That could mean fewer customers.
Colder weather and the possibility of converging flu and coronavirus outbreaks threaten the makeshift operating models that so many have helped keep revenue flowing during the pandemic.
Now, the type of help business owners can expect depends on the outcome of the election. President Trump and Joe Biden have laid out starkly different plans for helping businesses survive. Until then, all eyes are on stimulus talks. Both sides plan to speak again today, Boris.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
The California Republican Party says it will not comply with the state's cease and desist order over unofficial ballot drop boxes placed in at least four counties. State officials say the boxes are illegal. They found them in Los Angeles, Ventura County -- Orange and Fresno as well. No word yet on what happens to the legal ballots that have been dropped into unauthorized boxes.
And overnight, the U.S. Postal Service agreeing to reverse changes that slowed mail service nationwide. Many fear that the changes could delay the return of ballots being sent by mail.
ROMANS: In Virginia, a federal judge has extended the state's voter registration deadline through today. It comes after tech issues kept voters from registering Tuesday, which was the original deadline.
In Tennessee, long lines greeted thousands on the first day of early voting, repeating those scenes that played out his week in Georgia and Texas.
Also, in Texas, a win for Democrats. The State Appeals Court dismissing a Republican lawsuit trying to block curbside drive-thru voting in Harris County, which is home to Houston, a major Democratic stronghold. We'll be right back.
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SANCHEZ: The United States certainly not the only country struggling to contain coronavirus. Italy reporting its highest daily increase of new cases during the entire pandemic. It's more than 7,300. The previous record was set on March 21st.
Now, some of those numbers pale in comparison to other countries, including Spain, Poland, the Czech Republic, and the U.K. Overnight, Germany also reporting a record daily increase in new cases.
CNN's Scott McLean is live in Berlin and he joins us now with the latest. Scott, officials really trying desperately to keep up with these rising numbers.
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and, Boris -- so, Germany's second wave of the coronavirus has actually now officially now eclipsed its first wave with the country reporting more than 6,600 cases in the past 24 hours.
It comes just a day after Chancellor Angela Merkel met with the premiers of this country's 16 federal states to try to hash out a more unified approach to the virus in place of the patchwork of different rules and restrictions in different states.
The afternoon meeting, though, stretched well into the evening. And several hours after it was supposed to end, the chancellor finally announced that in virus hotspots, which includes most large cities in this country, restaurants and bars will have to close early. There will also be restrictions on the size of social gatherings -- 10 people in public, just two households in private homes.
They're going to see how these measures go over the next 10 days or so, but if they cannot manage to control the -- or flatten the curve of infection, the chancellor said she will not hesitate to bring in more stringent measures.
And one other thing. She also specifically called out young people, saying that it is better to miss out on a few parties today so that you can have a better future tomorrow -- Boris.
SANCHEZ: Yes, a message that doesn't just resonate in Germany but all over the world and here in the United States as well.
Scott McLean, thanks so much.
ROMANS: All right, to Russia now, once again reporting a record number of new infections, and further lockdowns are a definite possibility. In the middle of this COVID spike, Russian authorities have announced approval of a -- of a second vaccine, which has not been widely tested.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is live this morning for us in Moscow. Hi, Fred.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Christine.
Yes, this vaccine comes from a lab in Siberia called the Vector Institute, which actually was a former chemical weapons lab. And the Russians, as you said, have approved this vaccine. It was announced yesterday by Vladimir Putin in a cabinet meeting without going through those key phase-three trials which, of course, are the main trials to see whether or not a vaccine is both effective and safe.
The Russians are acknowledging that this vaccine has only been given to about 100 participants so far and they still claim that the vaccine, so far, has been effective and that there have been very few side effects.
Now, it also seems to be the case, though, that the Russians don't believe that either this vaccine or the first vaccine that they approved, the Sputnik V vaccine, is going to be available to the broader public here in Russia anytime soon.
As you mentioned, the number of new coronavirus infections still very high. Also, the Russians, the single-highest death toll for a single day happened in the past 24 hours. And the Russian authorities are urging people to stick by the pandemic measures and saying, as you mentioned, further stronger measures could become necessary, Christine.
ROMANS: All right, Frederik Pleitgen. Thank you so much for that, Fred.
The Los Angeles City Council has approved the creation of unarmed crisis response teams to handle non-violent 911 calls instead of police. The measure allows the city to join forces with non-profit partners to implement the pilot program.
[05:50:07]
Calls for less aggressive intervention grew louder after the police killings of George Floyd and others.
The proposal now heads to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti for final approval.
SANCHEZ: A huge bomb dropped by Britain during the Second World War exploding in a Polish canal during attempted removal on Tuesday. Look at that. The Tallboy-type bomb weighing 12,000 pounds is the largest ever found in Poland. It's believed to have been dropped during a raid on a German ship in the final days of the war.
The Polish navy was trying to slowly incinerate the explosive inside the bomb when it just went off. Fortunately, no injuries or damages were reported.
ROMANS: Wow, what amazing footage. All right, let's get a check on CNN Business this morning. Losses for markets around the world here. Asian markets closed lower. European markets have tumbled as stimulus hopes fade and, well, coronavirus cases surge around the world.
On Wall Street, futures right now down about one percent. That would be almost 300 points if it holds.
Stocks finished lower Wednesday. The Dow down 166 points. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq also down here.
Investors will get the latest peek into the jobs crisis in just a couple of hours. First-time unemployment claims are expected to remain historically high.
United Airlines posted another big loss as the pandemic keeps people out of the friendly skies. It lost $2.4 billion in the third quarter.
And, United's CEO said while the pandemic will keep many people from flying in the near-term, the airline is focused now on a strong recovery that will allow it to bring back furloughed workers. United cut 13,000 jobs on October first after funding from the CARES Act ended.
Starbucks plans to tie executive pay to diversity initiatives in 2021. Now, Starbucks did not specify how pay will be affected but it set goals to raise the number of employees who are black, indigenous, and people of color. Now, Starbucks is also launching a mentorship program to connect employees of color with senior leadership.
A number of companies have made these commitments to increase diversity following racial unrest this year that really kind of revealed big inequality in the economy in hiring in American business.
Sugar and spice and everything nice on a donut. Dunkin' is adding a spicy donut for the first time ever, just in time for Halloween -- the Ghost Pepper donut, topped with strawberry icing mixed with cayenne and ghost pepper. That's one of the hottest chili peppers in the world.
Spicy foods have been trending on fast-food menus recently. This quirky menu add is Dunkin's latest move to keep customers coming back to stores. The daring donut will be available through December.
I'm not sure I'm a taker.
SANCHEZ: I think I'm going to have to --
ROMANS: I'm not sure I'm a taker.
SANCHEZ: I think -- I think I'm going to have to add that to my renowned breakfast of boozy ice cream and pig's feet. I think it'll make a great addition.
ROMANS: We always have a good food story when you're here, Boris.
SANCHEZ: Thanks, Christine.
Take a look at this. It'll make for a heck of a jack-o-lantern.
A Minnesota teacher capturing the Super Bowl of pumpkins at the 47th annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin weigh-in -- Weigh-Off in California. The winning weight was 2,350 pounds. At seven -- look at that smiling face -- at $7.00 a pound, Travis took home more than $16,000 in prize money.
The owner drove 35 hours with this monster pumpkin strapped in the back of his pickup truck. Can you imagine driving alongside that thing on the freeway?
ROMANS: I can't imagine getting that thing in the pickup truck, let alone driving by it. All right, well done for Travis and his pumpkin.
The Billboard Music Awards, last night, belonged to Post Malone. He came into the show the biggest nominee and left the biggest winner. He took home the Top Artist prize, one of nine awards overall.
Korean pop band BTS won Top Social Artist for the fourth year in a row. They performed their hit "Dynamite" alongside a virtual band.
Billie Eilish keeps racking up the awards. The 18-year-old singer won Best Female Artist.
But the most poignant moment of the night came from John Legend.
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JOHN LEGEND, SINGER-SONGWRITER: Singing "Never Break."
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ROMANS: Legend giving this emotional performance two weeks after he and his wife announced they suffered a pregnancy loss. Before he began singing, he dedicated the ballad called "Never Break" to Chrissy Teigen.
Oh, what a --
SANCHEZ: I get goose bumps hearing that.
ROMANS: -- beautiful -- he is -- he is such a star and they're such a great couple to share their story for so many other people, you know, who go through such hardship.
All right, 54 minutes past the hour. That's it for us today. Thanks for joining us. I'm Christine Romans.
SANCHEZ: And I'm Boris Sanchez in for Laura Jarrett. "NEW DAY" starts right now.
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LEGEND: Singing "Never Break." (END VIDEO CLIP)
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[05:59:27]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The number of states with increases in new cases keeps going up nearly 50,000 new cases a day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are heading into a fall and winter without a national plan. Too many states are letting their guard down.
ACOSTA: President Trump staged yet another potential super-spreader event in Iowa.
FAUCI: When people are close to each other and you don't have virtually everyone wearing a mask, that is a risky situation.
OBAMA: One thing we know is that just basic competence can end up saving lives. When we had a pandemic, we had competent people in place who would deal with it.
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ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY.
