Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Erratic Trump and Deliberate Biden Prepare for Debate; Worsening Pandemic About to "Rapidly Accelerate"; NYT: Trump Pursued Foreign Interests During White House Run; Dodgers Dominate Rays in World Series Game 1. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired October 21, 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: Stark contrast on display as Donald Trump and Joe Biden prepare for their final debate. And homeland security officials urge patience. Don't expect a quick election result.
LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: If this isn't a rapid acceleration, what is? A dire pandemic warning from a top health expert.
ROMANS: And another bombshell from the president's taxes. We'll tell you which foreign power could hold major sway in Trump Tower.
Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world, this is EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
JARRETT: And I'm Laura Jarrett. It's Wednesday, October 21st. It's 5:00 a.m. here in New York. Just 13 days to the election.
Early voting starts today in West Virginia. And today is the deadline to request a mail-in ballot in Missouri.
So, with the U.S. inching ever closer toward an election that will define its future, top Homeland Security officials are now urging patience from voters. They warn that election results likely will not be known on election night despite President Trump's demand for immediate results.
And tensions are starting to boil over. Election officials in Florida and Alaska contacted law enforcement after voters reported receiving threatening emails saying, vote for Trump or else. The president for his part is still struggling to find a compelling rationale for his re-election ahead of the final debate tomorrow.
ROMANS: He has been expanding his list of enemies, narrowing the scope of his campaign to attacking them rather than focusing on voters' needs, mocking Biden for supporting scientists, attacking reporters and debate moderator before the debate has even started and lashing out at Dr. Anthony Fauci. Now, a source tells CNN one Trump ally told the president that the attacks on Fauci are, quote, the dumbest thing in the history of politics.
This with the pandemic worsening surpassing 60,000 cases for the third time in a week. That hasn't happened since July.
JARRETT: The president last night holding yet another rally in Pennsylvania with few masks and no social distancing, on the same day the state saw a thousand new COVID-19 cases for the 15th consecutive day.
The first lady backed out of joining the president because she is still dealing with the effects of the virus we're told while the president gave his supporters a rare reality check on the state of the campaign.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins is on the ground in Erie, Pennsylvania.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Laura and Christine.
As the president was rallying his supporters in Pennsylvania on Tuesday night, with two weeks to go before the election, he at one point seemed to recognize the dire position he's in, when it comes to political polling.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Before the plague came in, I had it made. I wasn't coming to Erie. I mean, I have to be honest. There is no way I was coming. I didn't have to.
I would have you and said, hey, Erie, you know, if you get a chance, get out and vote, we have this thing win.
COLLINS: Basically, he told the crowd he had to show up given that his poll numbers right now are behind those of Joe Biden in Pennsylvania, a state that he carried in 2016.
That rally came, just a few hours after the president had sat down with CBS's Lesley Stahl at the White House for an interview for "60 Minutes", in which we are told the president abruptly ended the interview, before it was scheduled to be done after about 45 minutes, but as he grew frustrated with the line of questioning from Stahl and we're told he left the room and did not come back to do what was supposed to be a taped portion of the interview with the Vice President Mike Pence.
And this is not exactly the closing political message that aides had hoped he would have, given the fact that he is trailing Joe Biden in so many states, so few days left to go.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Kaitlan, thank you so much for that.
President Trump says he may try to interrupt Joe Biden less, during Thursday night's debate. Biden for his part approves of the debate commission's plan to mute the opposing candidate's microphone while the other answers the question at the start of each segment.
And the former vice president is getting a big boost from his old boss who had a message for young voters before heading the campaign trail.
We get more this morning from CNN's Arlette Saenz.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Laura, while Joe Biden is preparing for that final debate against President Trump, he is getting a little bit of help out on the campaign trail, from a long-time friend who happens to be the Democratic Party's biggest political surrogate. Former President Barack Obama, will hit the campaign trail, in Philadelphia, his first in-person campaign appearance, as he is vouching for his former vice president, in these waning days, before the election.
Obama's events will be a drive-in style rally that's following many of the state's safety protocols put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, like social distancing and mask wearing.
[05:05:01]
And the Biden campaign believes that the former president can help mobilize black men, Latino and young voters to get out there and vote for Joe Biden in these closing days of the campaign.
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT: Your generation can be the one that creates a new normal in America. One that's fair, where the system treats everybody equally, and gives everybody opportunity. We can come out of this moment stronger than before.
SAENZ: Now, for Joe Biden's part, he is spending much of the day with his advisers focusing on preparing for the president in that next debate. This debate comes two weeks after that first initial chaotic debate, and the Biden campaign believes that the president will bully and deflect his way through this one, they are preparing for attacks not just on Biden and his record but also personal ones on his family.
So Biden huddling with his team, trying to prepare for that next face- off, as American voters will get to see the two men on stage together, one last time before election day -- Laura and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JARRETT: Arlette Saenz, thank you so much for that report.
Well, 933 deaths from coronavirus were reported in the U.S. yesterday. That is the highest the American death rate has been in almost a month.
And here's why. Take a look at this. The seven-day average of cases is up 44 percent, in three weeks, and the rate of increase is not slowing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER FDA COMISSIONER: I think we're about two or three weeks behind Europe, so we're about a week away from starting to end a period where we're going to see a rapid acceleration in cases.
There really is no backstop. You know, the summer was a backstop of sorts to the spring surge and we have no therapeutic backstop in the season, the fall and winter season is when the coronavirus is going to want to spread.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Now, the CDC says about 299,000 more Americans are now dead than in a typical year, 299,000. It says almost a third of them were either undiagnosed COVID, deaths at home, or in nursing facilities. Or people who did not or could not seek medical care, while hospitals were full.
Homes lost, businesses shuttered, virtual school, holidays canceled. People desperately sick. All of these statistics, every day, can cloud the reality that families are suffering. Remember that almost 400,000 Americans are expected to die by February 1st.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. CHARLES R. MARMAR, NYU GROSSMAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Along from the 300, 400,000 deaths, we have 3 million to 4 million Americans who are recently bereft, and that's over a brief period of six or seven months, but that is an epidemic of pathological situation, which is a downstream consequence of the pandemic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: To that point, the student journalists at the University of South Carolina say they won't be putting out any content for almost two weeks. They say lack of sleep, forgetting to eat, and too much stress have the entire staff near the breaking point. And the University of Michigan undergrads announced, an emergency shelter in place order.
Data shows that 60 percent of local cases there are among students, and vaccine front-runners Moderna and Pfizer set to make presentations for the FDA tomorrow but they won't be sharing late stage clinical trial data. That's a welcome sign that they don't appear to be bowing to pressure to rush out a vaccine.
ROMANS: All right. That deadline has passed with no new stimulus. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin spoke Tuesday in a last ditch effort to get a last minute deal before Election Day. But Senate Republicans continue to throw cold water in any deal with the $2 trillion price tag.
Pelosi said that two sides are close to resolving a key sticking point over money for coronavirus testing and contact tracing. There, though, are still plenty of outstanding issues, including funding for state and local governments, jobless benefits and funding for schools and liability protections, for businesses.
One thing is clear, government intervention saved people's personal finances, early on in this crisis. We know that people use their stimulus checks to pay rent, to keep up with bills, and in some cases, even pay off debt.
Do you know FICO scores actually rose to a record average high? Consumer spending rose, savings rates spiked at the beginning of the crisis. That was huge government intervention to help people's pocketbooks and it worked but the jobs recovery more recently has stalled.
Three key swing states Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have unemployment rates higher than the national average.
JARRETT: A new revelation this morning about President Trump's taxes, dealing a big blow to the effort by him to paint Joe Biden as soft on China. "The New York Times" now reports that Mr. Trump pursued a range of business projects in China for years, and even maintained a previously-unknown Chinese bank account. Trump spent a decade chasing business deals in China without success, even operating an office there, during his first run for president.
A Trump Organization lawyer told the times the company opened the Chinese account to pay local taxes and no deals ever materialized. Also, China's biggest state-run bank leased three floors in Trump Tower until last year. This is all prompting more conflict of interest accusations.
[05:10:00]
China remains an issue in the 2020 campaign as well, from the origins of the coronavirus, to the ongoing trade war.
ROMANS: All right. New overnight, lawyers say they have been unable to reach the parents of 545 children separated from their families by U.S. border officials between 2017 and 2018.
Now, this disturbing news comes from a Tuesday court filing by the Justice Department, and the ACLU. The filing also says hundreds of parents may also have been deported without their children. The lawyers say COVID-19 has hampered court-ordered reunification, but on the ground efforts to find parents have now resumed.
About 2,000 children were separated under the zero tolerance border policy, meaning about a quarter, a quarter of those children have not been reunited.
JARRETT: That's just an enormous story there. And there is so much focus on the children when they were initially separated but people forget, those families have not been reunited. And it's 545 children. It's just astonishing.
Well, it's almost here. Joe Biden and Donald Trump face off in the final presidential debate. CNN's special live coverage starts tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:15:17]
ROMANS: Disneyland and other big theme parks will have to wait under California's new reopening guidelines.
CNN has pandemic coverage coast to coast.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I'm Josh Campbell in Los Angeles.
In the face of growing pressure from the theme park industry over lost jobs and revenue, California has issued new guidelines opening up its theme parks, those guidelines tied to the number of coronavirus cases that are reported in a given county.
Now, small parks will now be allowed to open if their location falls within the state's two least restrictive levels of transmission. They willing still only be able to open up at 25 percent capacity. They will also be limited to outdoor operations.
Now, for those who are looking to visit larger parks, such as Disneyland, Universal Studios, Six Flags Magic Mountain, you will be waiting a time longer.
State health officials say that the larger parks can only open if the county that they're in is declared to be in the least restricted area of coronavirus transmission. The state's health secretary saying reaching that point will require some time.
ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Adrienne Broaddus in Chicago.
And here in Illinois, the governor is determined to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Starting Friday, the southern region of the state will look a lot different. Indoor dining and bar service will be banned once again.
And that's not all. Gatherings will be restricted to 25 people or less. This, after an explosion of new COVID cases, across the state.
We could see similar restrictions pop up again, in Chicago. This week, more than 3,000 new cases in the last day, and about 22 people have died.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: I'm Bianna Golodryga in New York. Nearly one month in, the country's biggest test case on in person instruction appears to be off to a good start.
Since launching a testing program, October 9th, New York City public schools have reported just 28 positive coronavirus cases, out of more than 16,000 tests conducted across 377 schools, according to Mayor Bill De Blasio. That averages out to a positivity rate of 0.17 percent.
Now, it should be noted however, that the random tests are only administered to students whose parents have filled out a consent form. Only 20 percent of parents thus far have done so.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JARRETT: Thanks to all of our correspondents for those updates on the virus.
Well, the U.S. Postal Service did not properly consider how some major changes would affect mail delivery. That's according to a scathing new watchdog report, criticizing postal service staffing, and service reductions under the Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, concerns that those changes would prevent the delivery of absentee ballots, no doubt part of what's driving record turnout in early in-person voting, including yesterday in Wisconsin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have the mask. I have the (INAUDIBLE). I have the shoes. I have my boots on. I've got my water. I've got my snacks. So I've got my feet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is pretty much worth it, waiting an hour, like to vote in person and I know it will be there and I can guarantee it and like I said, it's too important to leave it up to the mail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: Thirty-three million people have already voted early or absentee in Ohio. In Ohio, absentee ballots are being returned at nearly the 2016 rate. Virginia and North Carolina seeing almost triple, Christine.
ROMANS: All right. The Red Sox season is long over. So why were they the butt of all of the jokes during game one of the World Series?
The "Bleacher Report" live from Arlington Texas is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:23:25]
ROMANS: All right. Twenty-three minutes past the hour.
The Dodgers dominate the Rays to take game one of the World Series.
Andy Scholes is at the game and is live in Arlington, Texas, with more in this morning's "Bleacher Report".
Hi, Andy.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, good morning, Christine.
Game one of the first ever neutral site World Series is in the books and Dodgers fans travelling in full force here to Texas, to support their team. They're about 11,000 fans at game one in Globe Life Field, this neutral site World Series.
And I'd say it was at least 75 percent Dodgers fans. The fans were spread out throughout the stadium, with zip ties on all the seats that were not sold, to keep everybody at a social distance.
Now, former Red Sox star Mookie Betts giving Dodgers fans plenty to cheer about in this one. He was just dominant on the bases, getting two steals in the fifth before scoring and then he homered in the sixth inning. Betts joined Chase Utley as the only two players to steal two bags and homer in a World Series game.
Clayton Kershaw, on the mound for the Dodgers, he struggled in the past in the World Series, but pitching well back home in Texas. He went six, striking out eight. Dodgers dominate game one, winning 8-3 to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLAYTON KERSHAW, LOS ANGELES DODGERS PITCHER: For as much of a home game as we would have liked it to have been and be at Dodgers Stadium and have the 56,000 chanting, after everything that's gone on this season, to have, you know, 10,000, 11,000 people in the stands, and a good bit of them being Dodgers fans is pretty cool. And definitely, it definitely helps us to have that type of support for sure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[05:25:03]
SCHOLES: And we have fans to the World Series and soon, the Saints will join the NFL teams with fans at their home games. The mayor of New Orleans giving the Saints the go ahead to allow fans in the stand force home games starting this Sunday. This after the team was exploring playing in Baton Rouge so they could have fans in the stands.
The Saints will start with 3,000 season ticket holders Sunday as they host the Panthers at the Superdome. Then if local health and safety guidelines remain in place and the number of COVID-19 cases remain stable, they're going to increase to 6,000 fans in November and then 15,000 in December.
All right. And, finally, it's two a time in Miami. According to multiple report, the Dolphins are naming the rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, their starter, the fifth overall draft pick, battle his way back from a potentially career-ending hip injury in college almost a year ago and he made this NFL debut this past Sunday, Miami on a bi- week right now. So, two of the first games at home against the Rams on November 1st.
So, congrats to Tua on just an amazing comeback.
And, Laura, you know, here at the World Series, not a must win tonight in game two, but it certainly feels like it because they don't want to fall down 0-2 in the series, because of all games are here in Arlington, Texas, and it certainly feels like these are Dodgers home games the way the fans have traveled here and cheering for their team.
JARRETT: A lot of excitement there, I'm sure, Andy. Nice to see you this morning. Thanks so much. All right. Homeland Security officials well, they are managing
expectations this morning. Warning: don't expect a quick election result. The president and Joe Biden also taking very different approaches as they get ready for their final debate.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
