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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Trump & Biden Talk Past Each Other in Dueling Town Halls; New Hampshire Pauses Ice Activities For Two Weeks Amid Outbreaks; Astros Win in Dramatic Fashion. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired October 16, 2020 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:20]
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Two stages, two realities. President Trump and Joe Biden make a pitch in dueling town halls as coronavirus worsens and millions cast their votes across the country.
We have reports this morning from Miami, Philadelphia, London, Paris, Rome.
Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Christine Romans.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Boris Sanchez, in for Laura Jarrett. It is Friday, October 16th, 5:00 a.m. in New York.
Happy Friday, Christine.
ROMANS: Yes, you too. Nice to have you here this week. It's been a busy week.
And there are 18 more days now to the election, and as of this morning, voting is officially underway all across the country. Absentee ballots are now available in Hawaii and Washington, the final states to send those out. Washington state and Louisiana start early, in-person voting today among 30 states nationwide.
President Trump and Joe Biden speaking directly to those voters last night. The viewers had to pick one, between dueling town halls on separate television networks.
Defying the universal view among health experts, the president claimed the science is still not decided on wearing masks to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. He said that the same day the U.S. spread almost 64,000 cases, the most since July and the 15th highest count for the entire pandemic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As far as the mask is concerned, I'm good with masks, I'm okay with masks. I tell people to wear masks.
But just the other day they came out with a statement that the 85 percent of the people who wear masks catch it.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: I know that study.
TRUMP: That's what I heard, and that's what I saw.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: For the record, the president was misrepresenting a CDC study.
Trump's night was also marked by what he could not or would not say even when he was asked about a conspiracy that Democrats are running a satanic pedophile ring, QAnon.
The president has repeatedly elevated their claims on Twitter coming from a group known to be a domestic terror threat by the FBI. The president, though, refusing to give a coherent answer.
CNN's chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta is on the ground in Miami.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Christina and Boris, the voters did not get a lot of straight answers from President Trump during the town hall that took place during a presidential debate with Joe Biden, given opportunities to denounce the false conspiracy theory QAnon, the president evaded the question and would not say what he thought about the group.
Here's more of what he had to say.
TRUMP: I know nothing about it. I do know they are very much against pedophilia, they fight it very hard. But I know nothing about it. If you'd like me to study the subject --
GUTHRIE: They believe it's a satanic cult run by the deep states.
TRUMP: -- I'll tell you what I know about, I know about Antifa and I know about the radical left, and I know how violent they are, and how vicious they are, and I know how they're burning down cities run by Democrats, not run by Republicans.
GUTHRIE: Republican Senator Ben Sasse said, quote, QAnon is nuts, and real leaders call conspiracy theories conspiracy theories.
Why not just say it's crazy and not true?
TRUMP: He may be right. Can I be honest? He may be right. I just don't know about QAnon.
GUTHRIE: You do know.
TRUMP: I don't know. No, I don't know.
ACOSTA: The president gave evasive answers on health care, abortion, even his own personal income taxes. But perhaps the biggest missed opportunity for the night for the voters was when the president would not say when his last coronavirus test was.
GUTHRIE: The debate commission rules, it was the honor system --
TRUMP: Yeah.
GUTHRIE: -- would be that you would come with a negative test.
You say you don't know if you got a test on the day of the debate?
TRUMP: I have no problem. Again, the doctors do it, I don't ask them, I test all the time, and --
GUTHRIE: Did you take a test, though, on the day of the debate?
TRUMP: You know, if you ask the doctor, they'll give you a perfect answer. But they take a test, I leave and go about my business.
GUTHRIE: So, did you take a test on the day of the debate, I guess is the bottom line?
TRUMP: I probably did.
ACOSTA: Leaving the possibility that he walked into the last presidential debate with Joe Biden potentially symptomatic with COVID- 19 -- Boris and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Jim Acosta for us, thank you, Jim.
At Joe Biden's town hall in Philadelphia, the former vice president offered voters a starkly different vision for America, and he laid out a requirement that he expects President Trump to follow before the two men square off in their second and final debate next week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE STEPHANOPOLOUS, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: Will you demand that President Trump take a test that day and that it be negative before you debate?
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Yeah, by the way, before I came up here, I took another test. I have been taking them every day, the deep test, you know, the one they go in both, and because I wanted to be able -- if I had not passed that test, I didn't want to come here, and not, you know, expose anybody.
I'm less concerned about me than the people -- the guys with the cameras, the people working, you know -- the Secret Service guys you drive up with, all those people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Biden tried to keep the focus on policy, offering voters a calm presence in the face of President Trump's bombast.
[05:05:01]
CNN's Arlette Saenz has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Boris and Christine, over the course of this 90-minute town hall, Joe Biden faced a range of questions from how to handle the coronavirus pandemic, to the economy, and to even his support of the 1994 crime bill. This was a very policy focused discussion as Biden faced questions from a mix of undecided voters and people who have already decided if they're voting for Trump or Biden.
And one of the more noteworthy exchanges came around the issue of court packing. That is a question that Joe Biden has deflected on for weeks now, as he has not given a cheer answer of whether he would add more justices to the Supreme Court, simply saying he's not a fan of it right now, but not entirely ruling it out in his answer on Thursday night.
Take a listen to more of what he had to say.
BIDEN: I'm not a fan. It depends on how this turns out. I'm open to considering what happens from that point on.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You know, you said so many times during the campaign, all through the course of your career, it's important to level.
BIDEN: It is, but, George, if I -- if I say -- no matter what answer I gave you, if I say it, that's the headline tomorrow. It won't be about what's going on now, the improper way they're proceeding.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But don't voters have a right to know where you stand?
BIDEN: They'll have a right to know where I stand. They have a right to know where I stand before they vote.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So you'll come out with a clear position before election day?
BIDEN: Yes.
SAENZ: So Biden saying he will make his position known before Election Day, but his decision will depend on how the confirmation process plays out for Amy Coney Barrett.
Now, Biden was once again critical of President Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and when he was asked about the possibility of a vaccine, and making it mandatory, Biden said there should be a discussion about possibly mandating it. But he did acknowledge that it would be difficult to enforce legally.
Now, Biden, over the course of his town hall really tried to stay focused on the policy. He didn't spend the entire night criticizing President Trump, instead trying to offer his agenda for what a Biden administration would look like, presenting a contrast to the president who wasn't on the stage on Thursday night.
Now, later today, Joe Biden is traveling to the battleground state to Michigan, making two stops there as early voting is underway as he's encouraging his supporters to get out and vote in these final weeks before the election -- Boris and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Arlette, thank you for that.
The town hall is putting a fine point on the split screen era for the United States. Look at the difference, a member of the aviation company that charters Joe Biden's plane tested positive for the coronavirus. And Biden alerted people hours later.
Contrast that with President Trump. Remember, he went to a fundraiser after the White House knew a close aide tested positive for COVID-19 and reportedly tried to keep her illness secret.
Senator Kamala Harris was pulled off the campaign trail after two people in her orbit tested positive and it came the same day that Hope Hicks, the aide that was sick, was seen back on the road with the president still not wearing a mask.
And though the president mocks him for it, Joe Biden has been holding smaller campaign events while Trump hosts potential super spreader where dozens of COVID cases have been connected across several cities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: His approach to this issue is something the American public are suffering from. For example, what we did is we have been -- we have had, and he mocked Joe Biden in their debate about wearing masks and protocols that say we understand, love thy neighbor, wear your mask.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: All week, we saw President Trump defying his own White House task force guidance, no social distancing and few masks at his rallies in Florida, Pennsylvania, Iowa, and North Carolina, where a record number of new cases were recorded while the president was there. And some people do learn their lesson apparently.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie spent seven days in the ICU, and now says he was wrong for not wearing a mask at the White House a few weeks ago. He says, quote, I hope my experience shows my fellow citizens that you should follow CDC guidelines in public, no matter where you are and wear a mask to protect yourself and others.
The president still going to Wisconsin tomorrow. The state reported a new record number of virus cases and record number of hospitalizations yesterday, Boris. SANCHEZ: Well, last night, they were on separate stages but next
week, Joe Biden and Donald Trump face off one final time, the final presidential debate. Special live coverage starts Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:13:48]
SANCHEZ: New Hampshire is putting all indoor ice activities on hold for two weeks. Most years, ice hockey is like religion in New England in the fall and winter, but new concerns from the CDC explain the tighter restrictions.
CNN has the pandemic covered from coast to coast.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elizabeth Cohen.
Reports coming out about how a hockey match was a super spreader event in Florida in June. At an ice hockey rink, there were 22 players, 14 of them caught COVID. The original case was a man who felt just fine the day he played. He developed symptoms the next day.
It goes to show how quickly this virus can spread indoors at a sports activity.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Alison Kosik.
It's getting colder outside and families are preparing to spend holiday gatherings outside due to the coronavirus. That's causing a run on propane, wood, and outdoor patio heaters. In fact, patio heaters are such a hot commodity that sales at one Ace Hardware store in Illinois are at least ten times what they are in a normal season.
Many of New York City's restaurants that have outdoor seating are also looking to keep customers warm by using electric and natural gas heaters as well as portable heaters fueled by propane.
[05:15:07]
AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Amara Walker in Atlanta.
Thirteen employees of a Fulton County election warehouse have tested positive for the coronavirus but county health officials say that these positive tests will have no impact on early voting in the state.
Now, all 60 staff members of the election preparation center were tested after two cases had emerged earlier in the week. Now, county officials say that all employees upon reporting to work will get a daily rapid test and that precautions have been implemented.
ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Athena Jones in New York, where Mayor Bill de Blasio says the city will know by Sunday whether restrictions should remain in place. De Blasio says he's deeply concerned about a second wave of coronavirus in the city, and his job is to stop it from happening.
City officials are flooding the zone with testing in the cluster areas of Brooklyn and Queens, and the city is seeing a leveling off of positive COVID test results. But the mayor said there's more to do to fend off a wave of infections and avoid widespread shut downs.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. In dueling town halls, President Trump and Joe Biden each made false claims about the economy. President Trump took aim at Biden's tax plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Our economy is going to be next year, if we don't have somebody that raises taxes and quadruples taxes which they want to do and kills everything, our economy is going to be phenomenal next year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: All right. Fact check, here's the truth on the Biden tax plan. He wants to raise taxes on rich people, people making more than $400,000 a year. He has promised not to directly raise taxes for anyone making less than that.
He would give tax breaks for companies moving facilities back to the U.S. from overseas, and he would raise some taxes on big corporations.
Now, Biden slammed Trump for not helping the jobless on unemployment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: The first tranche of -- the first round of money for unemployment -- enhanced unemployment went by, he didn't do anything. He didn't do anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Well, that's false, too. Over the summer, Trump signed an executive measure to give Americans $300 a week in emergency benefits, the Loss Wages Assistance Program provided states with funds for up to six weeks. The program ran out of money just about as soon as it started and the unemployment crisis, by the way, is far from over. Another 898,000 Americans filed for first time jobless benefits last week.
Overall, more than 25 million Americans right now are receiving some sort of help from the government.
SANCHEZ: Well, you only have about 40 minutes left to fill out the census online. The Supreme Court granting a White House request this week to stop the process early as an appeal plays out. The government relies on the data to distribute roughly $1.5 trillion in funds infrastructure, Medicare and more than 300 other programs. Experts are concerned that ending the count early might increase the
chances of missing Americans, especially immigrants, people of color and low income Americans. The next census, of course, won't come for another ten years.
Something we could all use, a little playoff drama in Major League Baseball. Houston's own Andy Scholes is ecstatic.
The "Bleacher Report" after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:22:47]
ROMANS: The Houston Astros staying alive in the American League Championship Series with a dramatic win over the Rays in game five.
Andy Scholes has this morning's "Bleacher Report".
Hi, Andy.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, good morning, Christine.
You know, things were not looking good for the Astros a couple of days ago, (AUDIO GAP) but after another big win, the momentum has just come back to (AUDIO GAP).
This game was tied at 3 into the 9th inning. That's when Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, on his way to the plate, telling his teammates he was going to end the game, and he did just that, crushing this home run to center field, his second walk-off home run in the American League Championship Series, and the party at the plate, winning 4-3.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARLOS CORREA, HIT WALK-OFF HR WITH TEAM FACING ELIMINATION: I knew off the bat, the ball is carrying well today during the daytime, so once I hit it, I knew it was going. I thought I was going to end it. So you know, to be able to do it is a whole different story.
DUSTY BAKER, HOUSTON ASTROS MANAGER: He told me that he was going to walk off, and I was like, yeah. And he just said I told you. I was like hey, man, keep telling me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: All right. The Atlanta Braves meanwhile are just one win away for their first trip to the World Series since 1999. The Braves blowing this open against the Dodgers in the 6th inning, scored 6 runs, taking 8th place, and Kershaw, they would go on to win it 10-2. The Braves can wrap up the series in game five tonight. Game six between the Rays and Astros, it begins after 6:00 Eastern on our sister network, TBS.
All right. The NFL meanwhile is now following a policy where six players, even if they tested negative for COVID-19 will need to isolate from the team. That's according to the league's chief medical officer Allen Sills. This could lead to many more players missing practices and games as we approach cold and flu season.
Meantime, Alabama coach Nick Saban telling listeners on his weekly radio show he's feeling great. And he continues to have no symptoms after testing positive for coronavirus. Saban said he would hate not to be at the big game Saturday against Georgia. NCAA rules prohibit coaching virtually from home.
[05:25:05]
If Saban has three negative tests, he could potentially return in time to coach Saturday night.
Finally, one couple in California have a pretty cool engagement story, thanks to an NBA legend.
Ryan Bass (ph), he's proposing to his now fiancee Katie Ryan (ph), and there was some pretty cool images, Boris, of Dwyane Wade walking in the background, and Dwyane Wade saw it, and just goes.
Pretty cool. Check it out online. A moment that couple is not going to forget.
SANCHEZ: It reflects what a romantic Dwayne Wade when you see the picture, like he's holding his heart like he's touched. Sounds like they invited him to the wedding. What a great story.
Andy Scholes, thanks so much for that.
SCHOLES: All right.
SANCHEZ: Dueling town halls crystallizing stark differences between President Trump and Joe Biden with all 50 states now able to vote.
EARLY START returns after a quick break.
Stay with us.
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