Return to Transcripts main page

Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Trump Fires DHS Official for Rejecting His Claims of Election Fraud; Biden to Join Virtual Roundtable with Health Care Workers Today; U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Reach Highest Level In Six Months; U.S. to Withdraw Thousands of Troops from Afghanistan, Iraq; New Look at New NBA Season. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired November 18, 2020 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:19]

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 is off today.

It's Wednesday, November 18th, 5:00 a.m. here in New York. Nine weeks until Joe Biden's inauguration as the 46th president in the United States.

And this morning, signs of a stress test for American democracy are on multiple fronts. In an active revenge Tuesday night, President Trump fired his administration's most senior cyber security official who declared the election the most secure in U.S. history. That official, Chris Krebs, had been aggressively pushing back against President Trump's false claims of voter fraud.

The firing also comes as the president and his allies continue their efforts to discredit an election that Trump lost, efforts that are failing one by one in Michigan. Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and other key states.

Our coverage begins this morning with senior national correspondent Alex Marquardt in Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDER MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Chris Krebs might not be a name that most American voters know, but he played perhaps the biggest role in making sure Americans could go to the polls and cast their votes safely and security. As the head of the Department of Homeland Security cyber arm, Krebs has been pushing back more and more aggressively in the days following the election against claims, lies, conspiracy theories by the president, his allies, his supporters, that the vote was rigged, that votes changed and were fraudulent and that voting machines were manipulated.

On the last count on Tuesday, Krebs tweeted a letter from top election security officials saying in part these claims have been either unsubstantiated or are technically incoherent. But perhaps the biggest crime in the president's eyes that led to

Krebs getting fired by a tweet was his agency known as CISA put out, along with other federal, state, private election officials, in which they said the 2020 election in the United States was the most secure in American history. They went on to say there is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes or was in any way compromised.

After Krebs was fired, we learned that his number two, Matt Travis, also resigned after learning that he would not be taking over CISA after Krebs' termination. Krebs for his part on his personal Twitter now responded to his firing, which was not entirely unexpected because of the push back that he had been giving the president since the election.

Krebs's writing: Honored to serve. We did it right. Defend today, secure tomorrow -- was Krebs' motto in the lead-up to the 2020 election.

Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JARRETT: Alex, thank you for that.

In a major reversal overnight, Michigan's Wayne County voted unanimously to certify Detroit's election results after two Republican members on the elections board in Detroit initially tried to block it.

Now, at first, the two members had pointed to dubious claims of voting irregularities there, but after an outcry from the city's voters and state officials, the two Republican members relented joining the Democrats to certify Joe Biden's win.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson told CNN the discrepancy cited were only minor and routine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOCELYN BENSON (D), MICHIGAN SECRETARY OF STATE: There was no evidence of irregularities, no evidence of widespread fraud that had become evident at any point in this process nor were there any presented to the Wayne board of canvassers. If anything, the evidence actually showed less clerical errors than there have been in years past. Yet, of course, we believe that this was more about partisan politics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: So partisan politics is one thing, but the situation in Detroit is perhaps the starkest example yet of how this country's voting systems are being tested by the president's misguided effort to challenge his defeat. President Trump applauded the initial vote by the Republicans to block certification, praising the Republicans on the board for their, quote, courage. He's been silent so far however on their final vote to certify. And now to Pennsylvania where another one of the president's legal

challenges in the state that Biden won is falling apart, this time in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The Keystone State top bench ruled that there was nothing that required ballot observers to stand within six feet of vote counts as the Trump campaign has been argued. The decision undercuts that the claim that the president has been railing against on Twitter, that his supporters were being unfairly discriminated against and that therefore the results in Pennsylvania where Biden won by thousands of votes should be invalidated.

And now to Senator Lindsey Graham who has found himself embroiled in controversy after an apparent attempt to cast doubt on the integrity of election or even to overturn it.

[05:05:02]

The South Carolina Republican and Trump loyalist says he called election officials in Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia, three key states won by Joe Biden, to question them about procedures for mail-in ballots. Listen to Georgia's Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger described to CNN how the call from Senator Graham unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRAD RAFFENSPERGER, GEORGIA SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, just an implication to look hard and see how many ballots you can throw out. I think they're looking at that as part of the court case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: Senator Graham calls Raffensperger's allegations, quote, ridiculous. But a staffer for the Georgia secretary of state who was on that call, well, he confirmed Raffensperger's version to CNN yesterday. Now, Graham said he was trying to learn how the three states validate signatures, insisting it was part of an effort to determine whether any changes needed to be made.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): What I'm very concerned about is that if you want to continue to vote by mail, that we need to know what systems work and what don't. It's up to the people of Georgia. I have every right in the world to reach out and say, how does it work?

(END VIDEO CLIP)(

JARRETT: Despite Senator Graham's efforts in Georgia, the audit of the state's presidential vote is expected to be completed today. And to affirm Biden's victory there, a top election official says the vast majority of counties report results. They're, quote, spot dead on, with the initial vote tallies matching or showing only minor discrepancies. Georgia is required to certify its results by this Friday.

Well, President-elect Biden is set to speak with frontline health care workers later today. His team is also moving full speed ahead with national security planning despite being blocked of classified briefings by President Trump.

CNN's Jessica Dean is live in Wilmington, Delaware, with more on this.

Jessica, nice to see you this morning.

A slew of appointments from the president-elect, I should say. Yesterday, some very high level appointments for his next White House.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Laura. That is just one example of the Biden transition team will point to, to say, look, we're doing what we can to move forward even while we're being blocked from the formal transition process. So, we did see a number of senior level staffers that are being named, people who will be going to the White House with President-elect Joe Biden.

Among them, Congressman Cedric Richmond, who is a co-chair of the campaign. He'll be going in as a senior adviser, as Director of the Office of Public Engagement. Jen O'Malley Dillon who was the campaign manager, she'll be going in and deputy chief of staff. Longtime aides Mike Donilon, Steve Ricchetti, all this people going into the White House.

And so, the point being that President-elect Biden is continuing to fill out his staff that he will be with him as he goes to the Oval Office. But they are still barred from getting those daily intelligence briefings. They are still not allowed to talk to the COVID-19 task force, the people planning for the COVID vaccine distribution plan, all things that are very, very important, and need to be talked about right how in order to plan for the future.

And Congressman Richmond was on our air last night talking a little bit about the transition process in general and also the firing of Chris Krebs. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CEDRIC RICHMOND (D-LA): It's dangerous. The entire transition, Trump's whole behavior right now should frighten the American public. So when you look at all of the things he's doing, especially with Krebs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: So, again, the transition team moving forward best they can. Biden continues to take calls from world leaders without the support of the state department, which again would be the typical thing.

And it's important to underscore here, Laura, this is very abnormal. By this point in the process the president-elect should be getting all of these things. That would be the traditional way this has been done for years and years and years and years. So, this is very abnormal at this point, but Biden and team still continuing to forge ahead.

Talking with front line workers later today in a roundtable, this as they continue to try to make all of their public messaging centered around three things this week. That's COVID, the economy, and national security -- Laura.

JARRETT: All right. Jessica, thanks so much. See you back soon.

Well, while Biden is meeting with health care workers for 10 days in a row now, President Trump's schedule has remained the same -- no public events. According to the CNN's White House scene, the president is mired in a bunkered mentality, spending plenty of time watching TV and tweeting things in all caps that aren't true.

There's also word he's decided to forego his annual trip to Mar-a-Lago for the Thanksgiving holiday, opting to stay in Washington as the reviewing stand for Biden's inaugural is being built on the front lawn there. The president has answered no questions from reporters, (INAUDIBLE) invited cameras into the Oval Office and ventured no further than his golf course in Virginia 25 miles from the White House.

Well, still ahead, several Republican governors who had resisted coronavirus restrictions are now reversing course.

[05:10:02]

That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JARRETT: Coronavirus deaths in the United States just reached the highest level in six months. More than 1,700 American lives lost reported yesterday. Nearly 77,000 Americans are sick in the hospital today and more states are imposing new restrictions now.

CNN's Alexandra Field has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nine months into the U.S.'s COVID crisis hospitalizations are soaring across the country. In some rural areas, the strain is almost too much to bear.

DR. DARA KASS, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: When you look at Utah or Montana or the Dakotas, they have a fewer number of ICU beds and specialists that when they get at capacity, it's going to be a breaking point for them in a way it wasn't for us in the coastal cities and states.

FIELD: The alarm bells sounding nationwide with several U.S. governors who had resisted restrictions to reverse course. In Iowa, Republican Governor Kim Reynolds says the latest to have a statewide mask mandate.

GOV. KIM REYNOLDS (R), IOWA: I'm just reminding and asking all Iowans to step up and help us stop the spread of this virus together.

FIELD: In Mississippi, Republican Governor Tate Reeves is now requiring masks in 22 of the state's 82 counties. They haven't seen hospitalizations this high their since August.

And in West Virginia.

GOV. JIM JUSTICE (R), WEST VIRGINIA: How do I feel about the masks? I don't like them. I don't want -- I don't want to wear them. More than anything, I want us to get more control. More control over this terrible virus that's just eating us alive. I want us to absolutely wear a mask.

FIELD: Mobile morgue trucks are filling up the parking lot of the El Paso medical examiner's office and more rolling into Amarillo, Texas, in preparation for things to get even worse, which Dr. Anthony Fauci says will happen.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Help is on the way but help is not here yet. The fact that we have a vaccine coming means we should double down and hang in there.

FIELD: Pfizer announced it has enough data to apply for emergency use authorization from the FDA after reporting last week that its vaccine appears to be 90 percent effective, giving hope for the future as states struggle to contain a ballooning crisis, with new restrictions announced every day.

In Pennsylvania, Philadelphia has new limits for indoor gatherings, dining, and gyms.

MAJOR KIM KENNEY (D), PHILADELPHIA: There's no doubt the changes are necessary. We need to act to reduce the rate of increase and to flatten the curve once again.

FIELD: To Massachusetts, home to several universities and colleges. The mayor of Boston telling them not to come back.

MAYOR MARTY WALSH (D), BOSTON: If you go home for Thanksgiving, you should not be returning to Boston this semester. You should do the rest of your learning remotely.

FIELD: Alexandra Field, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JARRETT: Alexandra, thank you for that.

Well, the most senior Republican in the Senate, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley has now tested positive for coronavirus. The 87-year-old senator tweeted the news of his positive test just after saying he planned to self-isolate because of possible exposure. Grassley's absence from the Senate Tuesday ended the longest voting streak in Senate history. He hasn't missed a floor vote there since 1993.

Well, the Defense Department announced Tuesday the U.S. will withdraw thousands more troops from Afghanistan and Iraq by January 15th. Less than a week before President-elect Biden takes office. Now, defense officials say the move is not a change in U.S. policy

about refused to answer questions or provide more details during a Pentagon briefing yesterday.

For more, let's bring in senior international correspondent Sam Kiley live in Dubai for us.

Sam, what more are you learning?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Laura, there are two areas where the troop drawdown is going to occur on January 15th. The first is Iraq where the numbers will go down from around 3,000 to about 2,500. That's a significant reduction. Compared to what's going to happen in Afghanistan where the numbers will go down from 4500 to 2,000, a much drastic scene.

And it's that environment where military commanders had been advising via Mark Esper the Trump administration not to dial down the numbers of troops there before the Taliban had signed up to an agreement which ended their relationship with al Qaeda. Now they have not signed up to that. That was one of the preconditions for troop reduction, but the troop reduction is going to go ahead in any case.

Azraf Ghani, the Afghan president, has not criticized the move but he looked forward to what he called meaningful military relationships with the United States, and, of course, United States is the key international ally of still a multinational coalition that is in Afghanistan, awful lot of special forces there involving special forces, very dependent on the structures and air support that the Americans bring to it. And the reduction in this level of troops will be causing jitters not only among Afghan allies but by among international allies, Laura.

JARRETT: All right. Sam Kiley, thank you so much for all of your reporting as usual.

Well, the NBA reveals what the upcoming season will look like. How coronavirus is changing the game. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:24:03]

JARRETT: All right. The new NBA season set to tip off in five weeks. It will have a much different look.

Andy Scholes has this morning's "Bleacher Report".

Hey, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Laura.

You know, it's always an exciting time for NBA fans, always tons of drama on the offseason with trades and signing. We got the draft coming up tonight and we now know what next season is going to look like. The shortened 72-game season, it's going to start just three days

before Christmas and includes the new concept of a play-in tournament to determine the seventh and eighth playoff seed in each conference. The tournament will take place after the regular season ends and the first round of the playoffs.

The league also set aside an all-star break in early March. But there's not going to be an all-star game next year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The league is only going to release the first half of the schedule to start and the second half of the schedule will come at a later date in case changes need to be made due to COVID postponements.

[05:25:02]

Now, as I mentioned, the draft is tonight. For the first time, it will be virtual. Minnesota Timberwolves have the first pick. Barring any trades, Georgia's Anthony Edwards, Memphis' James Wiseman and LaMelo Ball, the brother of Pelican star Lonzo Ball, they are expected to be among the top three.

And check this out, 30 draft prospects receiving these draft lockers with everything they need to broadcast what they've been picked. And check this out, 30 different hats in that locker. One, of course, for each team that could take them tonight in the draft.

All right. Despite the rising number of cases around the country, Cowboys owner jerry Jones says he wants to have even more fans in the stands at his home games. More than 30,000 people attended the Cowboys last game at AT&T Stadium. Jones told a Dallas radio station they can increase that number safely and smartly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERRY JONES, DALLAS COWBOYS OWNER: My plan was to increase our fans as we went through the season and move our fans -- and move the numbers up, and we followed that plan. Our stadium is particularly suited for airiness, openness, air circulation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Laura, you know, on the one hand, you have the ravens and eagles changing course and they will not be allowing fans for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, you have the Dallas Cowboys increasing the number of fans they will have. Always a tradition, Thanksgiving Day hosting the Washington football team.

JARRETT: Really tricky time to do this as this virus is surging across the country.

All right. Andy, thank you so much. Good to see you as always.

All right. Still ahead, one by one the Trump campaign's election fraud claims keep crumbling in court. We have the latest for you. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)