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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Biden Projects Calm and Confidence Despite Trump Obstructionism; U.S. Shatters Daily Record with More Than 136K New Cases; SCOTUS Appears to Signal Obamacare Will Survive GOP Challenge; Steelers Place Roethlisberger, 4 Others on COVID-19 List. Aired 5- 5:30a ET

Aired November 11, 2020 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:21]

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Laura.

I'm Christine Romans. It is Wednesday, November 11th. It is Veterans Day, 5:00 a.m. in New York. Ten weeks until Joe Biden's inauguration as the 46th president of the United States.

And this morning, a calm and confident President-elect Joe Biden moving forward with his transition to the White House, forging ahead even as President Trump and top Republicans withhold cooperation or even acknowledgment that Biden won.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: How do you expect to work with Republicans if they won't even acknowledge you as president-elect?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: They will. They will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Meantime, Biden has been taking calls of leaders from U.S. allies, meeting with transition advisers and preparing for his new job.

From the latest of Biden's headquarters, let's bring in CNN's MJ Lee live in Wilmington.

They will, he says, they will. We will get beyond this.

MJ LEE, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I mean, it's incredible that this race was called on Saturday and here we are Wednesday morning and President Trump has still refused to concede to Joe Biden.

Well, here in Wilmington, Biden is moving full steam ahead with these transition efforts. You look back on the beginning of the week on Monday. He announced his COVID advisory board and met with some of those experts.

Yesterday, we saw him give a speech on the future of the Affordable Care Act and hold a press conference. Today he is going to be meeting with transition officials and yesterday when he was speaking with reporters it was clear he wanted to project a sense of calm, essentially saying, yes, all of this is going on.

However, on January 20th I am going to be president and he had some very pointed words with how he feels about the sitting president is refusing to accept the results of the election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Well, I just think it's an embarrassment, quite frankly. The only thing that -- how can I say this tactfully? I think it will not help the president's legacy. I think that -- I know from my discussions with foreign leaders thus far that they are hopeful that the United States democratic institutions are viewed once again as being strong and enduring.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: You see him there mentioning foreign leaders. Well, this is one of the things that Biden has been doing over the last couple of days, having phone calls, conversations with foreign leaders who are congratulating him on the results of the election, on the fact that he is going to be the next president of the United States. So this contrast between what we're seeing from world leaders and the leaders in the United States, Republican leaders and allies of the president is incredibly stark.

And, you know, Joe Biden, again, is trying to project a sense of calm, all of this is having real ramifications. He does not have access to transition funding for the time being, for example. He cannot receive the presidential daily briefings.

When he was asked about all of this yesterday, he essentially said, look, all of those things would be nice, but for now, it's not necessary. Only one person can be president at one given time and he also notably said that he does not think for the time being that taking legal action is necessary. We'll see how long that lasts.

Back to you, guys.

ROMANS: We heard from the German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday in remarks that were really stark about how she's looking forward to working with this team that understands the importance of the European alliance with the United States, the German alliance with the Americans and she can't wait to meet Kamala Harris.

So, clearly, some of our allies are accepting what Republicans are not accepting here.

MJ, thank you so much. JARRETT: All right. Later today, we will see President Trump for the

first time in days. He's set to attend a Veterans Day observance ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

In sharp contrast to the president-elect, the outgoing president has been holed up at the White House tweeting delusional claims of political victory in all caps. His administration, as MJ mentioned, is also withholding the access and critical funding that incoming presidents normally rely on for their transition.

Boris Sanchez has more on all this from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Laura and Christine, the president's latest moves indicate he is not ready to concede any time soon and he may not leave all that gracefully.

Several sources throughout government agencies indicate that President Trump has put out the word through his staff that he does not want any federal agency cooperating with the Biden transition team.

[05:05:09]

And further, that he doesn't want any government agency doing anything that would imply that Biden won the election. The president clearly not complying with the idea of a smooth transition.

We're learning that the White House has started to press these agencies to come out with a budget for next year as if there would be no change at the White House. One official actually telling CNN that the White House is, quote, going forward assuming a win.

So, the president here clearly in denial, angry about the loss. We should point out, it has been several days since we've actually heard from the president in an official capacity. He hasn't done any events since last Thursday when he stood at the White House podium and espoused all sorts of conspiracy theories and, frankly, nonsense about how the election was stolen from him.

The president still moving forward with these claims on Twitter that we've not seen him in person. We should point out the president has been embolden partly because Senate Republicans have largely either remained quiet or encouraged the president in this endeavor -- Laura, Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Boris, thank you so much for that.

Pentagon shakeup. Several loyalists promoted to top roles in the Defense Department Tuesday. It comes one day after the president unceremoniously fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper. The abrupt changes fueling worries at the Pentagon at the wider effort to get rid of anyone not considered loyal enough to President Trump.

CNN's Barbara Starr has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Less than 24 hours after Defense Secretary Mark Esper was fired by President Trump, more changes at the Pentagon. The top policy chief, a man named James Anderson resigned. Essentially, he was told to resign.

He is now replaced by Anthony Tata, a retired brigadier general who was roundly criticized for a series of tweets that abdicated conspiracy theories and were anti-Islamic. Tata is now in charge of the Pentagon's policy shop along with the acting secretary now, Chris Miller, who is a former special operations soldier and a bureaucrat but had not served in senior positions for some time, although he did head the Counterterrorism Center.

One of the big concerns at the Pentagon now is what comes next. Miller has a lot of expertise in counterterrorism. Not at all clear that is what is needed here.

Still, the effort, the policy effort, is to try to push back against China and Russian expansionism and to try to get the defense budget of more than $700 billion through Congress. Whether an acting secretary with little experience can get that job done remains to be seen.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JARRETT: All right. Barbara, thank you for that.

National security experts say a delayed transition could have serious consequences, namely holding up security clearances and critical briefings. But when asked by CNN about this, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell dismissed those concerns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: I don't think we're going to have an interrupted transition to whoever is the next administration. I think we ought to quit all the hand wringing, not act like this is extraordinary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: So, legal fights and even recounts in individual states aren't extraordinary. What is extraordinary is the refusal by some to even accept the possibility that the president lost this election using dangerous rhetoric like this. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Is the State Department currently preparing to engage with the Biden transition team? If not, at what point does it delay or hamper a smooth transition or pose a risk to national security?

MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration. We're ready. The world is watching what's taking place.

We're going to count all the votes and when the process is complete, there will be electors selected. There is a process. The Constitution lays it out pretty clearly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: That is the current secretary of state saying that the loser of this presidential election will remain in office for this second term. Take a second to think about that. And he's right, the world is watching. At last count more world leaders have congratulated the president-elect on his win than Republican senators.

Leaders across the globe understand what's happening right now and yet most Republicans in Washington are locked into an orbit of denial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ROY BLUNT (R-MO): The president wasn't defeated by huge numbers. In fact, he may not have been defeated at all.

REPORTER: Isn't it time to acknowledge that President-elect Biden won the election?

SEN. DEB FISCHER (R-NE): You know, President Trump is looking at his options.

REPORTER: Senator, have you congratulated Vice President Biden yet?

SEN. RON JOHNSON (R-WI): No.

REPORTER: Why not?

[05:10:01]

JOHNSON: Nothing to congratulate him about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Still, there are a handful of Republican governors and senators who have the backbone to say publicly that the president is wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHARLIE BAKER (R), MASSACHUSETTS: I'm dismayed to hear the baseless claims coming from the president from his team and from many other elected Republican officials in Washington. But this latest move to employ the Department of Justice in all of this is so wildly inappropriate, and stalling an orderly transition process, especially at a time like this, is equally unacceptable.

GOV. LARRY HOGAN (R), MARYLAND: It's really dangerous, I think, to in the middle of this pandemic, this economic collapse, people dying across the country to not know if we're going to have a transition, is the old coronavirus task force making decisions, is the new one? There's no transition. How long is this going to go on with no stimulus package getting done, with no additional virus relief, with -- you know, it's crazy.

SEN. PAT TOOMEY (R-PA): We're on a path, it looks likely, that Joe Biden is going to be the next president of the United States. It's not 100 percent certain but it is likely. So, I think a transition process ought to begin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Here's what's so important, Laura. You know, we got an economic recovery that hangs in the balance here. We have a vaccine that will need to be developed and approved and distributed, right?

That's going to take a huge government effort and it's going to mean you need a transition right now that is making sure the American people are safe and healthy. This politics and trying to win points maybe for the Georgia Senate seats or whatever is their mission here, this is -- this is the American people at the bottom line here, their safety, their security, their prosperity that's on the line here by playing these games.

JARRETT: It's really dangerous. We are in the middle of this pandemic and right now the pandemic is reaching levels of record highs in the United States. More than 136,000 new coronavirus cases reported overnight. That's the highest day ever for new cases. A record 61,000 people are now sick enough to be admitted to the hospital.

Still, Dr. Anthony Fauci says there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Help is on the way with a vaccine. We need to hang on, double down, do the kind of public health issues that we spoke about. You have to go through the hoops of making sure all the eyes are dotted and the T's are crossed about the safety and regulatory aspects of it.

But we would be giving vaccine to people very likely before the end of this year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: CNN's Nick Watt has more on this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christine and Laura, here in California all nonessential indoor businesses just closed down again. In San Diego and ten other counties, they've all joined Los Angeles in the most restrictive tier in the COVID reopening schedule.

Now elsewhere in the country, cases also rising sharply. So are hospitalizations, up about 1/4 in a week. So this virus is not going anywhere, but there is good news, some very

good news. An antibody treatment put out by Eli Lilly just got emergency use authorization from the FDA. They're going to start rolling that out this week. It basically mimics the body's own immune response and makes the symptoms in sufferers less severe.

And, of course, that Pfizer vaccine they say is 90 percent effective. They are working on a rollout program for that. But, you know, it's going to take two doses. It needs to be stored at like minus 103 degrees Fahrenheit.

It is going to take some time. Could be the spring, best estimate, before most of us can get that vaccine.

Christine and Laura, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Certainly imperative there.

Nick Watt, thank you so much.

Trump administration lawyers take their case for killing Obamacare back to the U.S. Supreme Court. You'll hear what the justices say about it, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:18:35]

JARRETT: Welcome back.

As president-elect develops a plan to tackle coronavirus, Joe Biden is calling the Trump administration's latest gambit to strike down Obamacare in court.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: This doesn't need to be a partisan issue. It's a human issue. It affects every single American family. We can't subvert the growing consensus of the American people based on an argument put forward in the briefs seeking to invalidate the law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: The Supreme Court heard the latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act from Republicans and the White House on Tuesday. The justices appear to signal the landmark health care law will survive.

CNN's justice correspondent Jessica Schneider has more on this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Laura and Christine, the justices signaling that they will once again step in to save the Affordable Care Act. All it will likely take is one of the president's picks, whether it's Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Justice Neil Gorsuch or Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

And it was Kavanaugh that seemed to clearly side with the push from the Democrats that even if the mandate is declared unconstitutional, that does not mean that the entire ACA should be invalidated. And it all comes down to the issue of severability, whether one part of the law can be struck from the entire law without the entire law also being struck down.

Justice Kavanaugh weighed in, as did the chief justice.

CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS, U.S. SUPREME COURT: I think it's hard to argue that Congress intended for the entire law to fall if the mandate were struck down when the same Congress that lowered the penalty to zero did not even try to repeal the rest of the act.

[05:20:17]

Now, I think, frankly, that they wanted the court to do that, but that's not our job.

SCHNEIDER: This all comes down to the decision Congress made in 2017 to put the penalty for not purchasing insurance at zero dollars. Republicans are arguing that it no longer makes it a tax and it is therefore unconstitutional.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett questioned whether Congress would do intentionally something that would kill the entire law. She seemed to carefully craft her questions to keep Supreme Court observers guessing about how she might rule.

Now, this is a decision that will affect millions of Americans, whether it's those 20 million that have gained coverage through the ACA or those who have benefitted because they have pre-existing conditions, or, for example, are still on their parents' insurance until age 26.

So, there's a lot at stake. And the Supreme Court, though, likely won't issue a decision until the spring or summer -- Laura and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Thank you so much for that.

Let's look to Wall Street now. Adjusting there to what will be a new environment, new policies under a new president. You can see how investors are positioning for a Joe Biden presidency inside the market sectors. Solar companies and alternative energy leaders are positioned to benefit under a Biden White House with policies geared toward clean energy. Cannabis stocks have surged recently on increased hopes for federal decriminalization of recreational marijuana.

Investors are also hoping there will be renewed focus on a big infrastructure spending bill. The need even more pressing because of the current jobs crisis. The idea is putting people to work to prepare roads and upgrade airports could have a lasting boost to the economy, going beyond just giving Americans right now a steady paycheck.

JARRETT: It's so interesting how investors get it, and world leaders get it but somehow Republicans in Congress are still in denial.

ROMANS: Good point.

JARRETT: All right. Still ahead, coronavirus could prove to be the toughest foe yet for the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers.

We have the "Bleacher Report" for you, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:26:36]

ROMANS: All right. The NFL's only undefeated team now with five players on their COVID-19 list, including the starting quarterback.

Coy Wire has this morning's "Bleacher Report".

Hi, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine.

Of course, talking about Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, considered high risk after being in close quarters with tight end Vance McDonald who tested positive on Monday. Roethlisberger and his teammates can't practice and they have to isolate for five days.

None of them are even allowed in the Steelers facility. They can still practice -- participate in meetings virtually and they would be able to play Sunday against Cincinnati if they test negative throughout the week. The Steelers have a perfect 8-0 record for the first time in franchise history.

Coronavirus concerns taking place in college football as well. One of the biggest games in the year, top-ranked Alabama at defending national champs LSU now postponed after the tigers fell under the threshold of 53 scholarship players being available to play. The two schools do not share an open date for the rest of the season. So, that game might not be played at all.

Three SEC games not being played this weekend. Number five Texas A&M says they have three positive cases so they will not play Tennessee.

And Mississippi State/Auburn called off with both teams reporting positive results, including 12 for Auburn.

All right. Finally, some fun for you this morning. Something you have to see. It might be the greatest golf shot you will ever see. Jon Rahm during a practice round yesterday at the Masters, par 3, 16th hole, hitting and skipping the ball across the water as players do in practice. That's where this journey is getting started. Rolling foot after foot,

yard after yard. Spanning the entire length of the green, one big U- turn and just wait and watch. It's unbelievable.

Ace for Rahm, maybe the greatest of all times. The type of shot you would never be able to explain how special it was. You have to see it to believe it.

Here's Rahm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON RAHM, 5-TIME PGA TOUR WINNER: You don't see people skipping it and actually hitting it on the green very often and to make it to the back pin, clearly a nice shot. Pretty nice birthday present. Can't complain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: So cool.

WIRE: He made the shot of a lifetime on his 26th birthday yesterday. He was ranked number one in the world for a short time earlier this year, but still has never won a Major. Let's just momentum is definitely on his side ahead of Thursday's first round at the Masters.

JARRETT: That's for sure. Although, Coy, I bet you could do that in your sleep, no big deal, right?

WIRE: Only in my dreams, Laura. Yes.

JARRETT: All right. Thanks, Coy. Appreciate it.

All right. America's closest allies see the writing on the wall come January. Top leaders reaching out to the President-elect Joe Biden. We'll have more on that, next.

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