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Don Lemon Tonight

Kamala Harris Slams Trump In First Speech As Biden's Running Mate; New White House Coronavirus Task Force Member Echoing Trump's Claims; Teachers Refuse To Return Fearing For Their Safety; Declining New Cases Of Coronavirus?; Trump Congratulates GOP Candidate As Future 'Star' Despite Her Support For QAnon Conspiracies; Concern Over How Postal Service Will Handle 2020 Election. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired August 12, 2020 - 23:00   ET

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

[23:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: This is CNN TONIGHT. I'm Don Lemon. It is 11:00, 11:00 p.m. here on the East Coast, following multiple breaking stories for you tonight.

The coronavirus death toll surging in the U.S., more than 1,000 Americans dying every day for more than two weeks straight. The cases are leveling off. So how will this impact back to school plans?

And Joe Biden and Kamala Harris appearing together for the first time as running mates. The new vice presidential nominee hammering Trump for his handling of the pandemic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me tell you, somebody who has presented my fair share of arguments in court, the case against Donald Trump and Mike Pence is open and shut.

Just look where they have gotten us, more than 16 million out of work, millions of kids who cannot go back to school, a crisis of poverty, of homelessness afflicting black, brown and indigenous people the most.

A crisis of hunger afflicting one in five mothers who have children that are hungry. And tragically, more than 165,000 lives that have been cut short, many with loved ones who never got the chance to say good-bye. It didn't have to be this way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Plus, President Trump congratulating a QAnon conspiracy theorist for winning a white -- for winning House primary race, someone known for her bigoted views and outlandish beliefs. So why is Trump calling her a future Republican star.

And we're following the major changes at the U.S. Postal Service ahead if the November election, why some warn that could undermine the mail- in vote. We're going to break down all these stories and more in the hour ahead for you.

But first I want to bring in Dr. Jonathan Reiner. He is the director of the Cardiac Catheterization Program at George Washington University Hospital. Also with us, Andy Slavitt. He is the former acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. I'm happy to have both of you on. Gentlemen, good evening and thank you so much.

Dr. Reiner, Biden and Harris had a clear message on the coronavirus pandemic. We can do this. We just need leadership, basically is what they were saying. Are they right? Is that what this crisis comes down to, Trump's failed leadership?

JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: That's right, and his failure to do a few very important things from the outset, and his failure to set a national plan to test widely all throughout the United States, his failure to set a national universal mask policy, and his failure really to help the states understand when they can open. And also now, this extends now towards schools.

So there has really been no coordinated plan to put the virus down. It's been outsourced to the states. And now, mostly the administration puts their head in the sand. So, yes, we're desperately in need of coordination on the national level. Some of the governors have picked up the slack, which is great, but it's been very uneven around the United States.

LEMON: Andy, I want you to take a listen to what Senator Harris said earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: While other countries were flattening the curve, he said the virus would just poof, go away "like a miracle." So when other countries opened back up for business, what did we do? We had to shut down again. This virus has impacted almost every country.

[23:04:59]

But there is a reason it hit American worse than any other advanced nation. It's because of Trump's failure to take it seriously from the start.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So Andy, is she right? If the president addressed the realities of this virus instead of pushing states to reopen, would we be where we are right now?

ANDY SLAVITT, FORMER ACTING ADMINISTRATOR, CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES: Well, Senator Harris is exactly right and Dr. Reiner called it exactly right. You know, it's actually not complicated. It's not fun what we have to do, but it's not complicated.

If we really need to do the hard work, countries around the world have shown us how to do it. We've seen it work in New York State and so when we look at Texas and Florida and Arizona even though they peaked and we say why aren't they going down? Why aren't they opening schools? Why did some states still have bars open? Why does the sheriff in Florida still allowed to tell people they can't come in if they are wearing a mask. That's going to keep this going.

So, we know that if we just stop from breathing near one another and do that for a long enough period of time, we will crush this curve. So, all they have to do is come in with a plan and I can assure you that they will come in with a plan and will make very quick progress if they are elected.

LEMON: Dr. Reiner, in the middle of the worst public health crisis in the century, Trump is turning to a Fox News guest for medical advice instead of Dr. Fauci. This is just a sample of what this new advisor says and why the president may have chosen him. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT ATLAS, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE MEMBER: It doesn't matter if children get the disease. They don't get sick from this and the data shows that they do not significantly transmit to adults.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My president says that politics are at play for keeping kids home and other harsh restrictions that we're seeing across the country. Do you believe that?

ATLAS: I believe that there is zero reason, in fact, zero excuse to not have the schools open in person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: It's an echo chamber. How dangerous is this echo chamber?

REINER: It's killing tens of thousands of Americans. Yes, so the president won't have Drs. Fauci or Birx come to the podium because they are now prone to tell the truth and the truth is unpleasant for the president. The truth refutes his narrative.

So the president brings Dr. Atlas, somebody who understands that it's easy to convince somebody if you tell them exactly what they already believe. So he's -- that's his role at the White House, to tell the president what the president already believes.

You know, I listen to a fabulous pod cast this weekend with Chuck Rosenburg when he interviewed Captain Sully Sullenberger. And what Captain Sullenberger said was that, in a cockpit and in any kind of place like an operating room or a boardroom or the Oval Office, one of the most critical things is to have people who are willing to tell you what you don't want to hear.

And the absence of that has caused planes to crash -- planes to crash in the past. And the absence of that now is killing tens of thousands of people in this country. No one will stand up and tell this president he is wrong. Has anyone told the president that the pandemic didn't start in 1917

because he says that every day? My guess is that no one is willing to tell him what he keeps saying is nonsense, and that's just a minor thing. So he now brings in a physician to tell him what he wants to hear. The only way we're going to really move beyond this is to have new leadership.

LEMON: Thank you, gentlemen. I'll see you soon.

So joining me are two people who understand the risks of heading back to school and that is Marie Tichenor as one of more than 400 teachers in Elizabeth, New Jersey that refused to return to the classroom.

Also, Miranda Wicker is a former teacher in Georgia and the spokesperson for Educators for Common Sense and Safety. Marie and Miranda, thank you so much for joining us this evening.

Marie, let's start with you. You and hundreds of your colleagues, essentially forced your district to move to all virtual learning this fall. What were you concerns about going back into the classroom?

MARIE TICHENOR, TEACHER WHO OPTED OUT OVER COVID-19 CONCERNS: Well, I don't know if we forced them, but we asked them not to. We have the right according to our state to ask for a medical waiver, meaning that we still have to go to work but you're going to teach remotely, and you know how to follow CDC guidelines. And for my family, it was my husband has auto immune.

[23:10:00]

And so, even though they were thinking about reducing the number of children in a class half day, I know as an educator of small children, it's going to be very difficult to social distance. Even if the kids kept on their masks and didn't touch each other or, you know, stayed six feet apart because as their teacher, I can kind of guide that.

It's little things like on the first day of school, children cry. A child will ask me to tie his or her shoes. My gut reaction is coming to go near that child and comfort that child to help that child.

So, just by being in the classroom even with social distancing and who knows what, you know, if their family follow any of those regulations at home, what they're bringing to class, I'm compromising my family.

LEMON: Right.

TICHENOR: So, I'm very lucky to work in a district that was going to hear that. And again, we had to have a doctor and then the district's doctor, you know, made sure that your doctor's notes followed the CDC guidelines. So, you know.

LEMON: I got a quick follow for you before I get to Miranda. Marie, under this new plan, about 90 people will be going into schools. Are there systems in place to keep them safe?

TICHENOR: Yes, in fact, my -- was discussing, you know, with the superintendent of the school what that would look like this morning and we had to wait until after Governor Murphy finished talking. So I can't give you exact details because it's not written in stone, but the temperature is taking, they will be provided masks, gloves and of course, you know, social distancing will be adhered to.

And of course, if anyone is sick, that anybody that had contact will have to, you know, go home and quarantine. So, and then I believe they will close down the teacher's lunchrooms. There will be no social rooms at all.

LEMON: Wow. It just sounds like a lot to have to deal with and to, you know, what I mean? You're shaking your head and so -- and Miranda is as well.

Miranda, in your school district, more than 1100 students, teachers, staff members mow under quarantine because of a positive -- because of positive cases or exposure. And school only started on August 3rd. Are things as bad as it sounds?

MIRANDA WICKER, FORMER GEORGIA TEACHER: I mean, I think it depends on who you're asking. To me, yes. We have 1,300 -- I did the math right before, 1,359 students and teachers in quarantine right now, 79 positive cases and we have two high schools that have shut their doors to in-person learning until August 31st. So, it certainly doesn't sound very good. You know, it doesn't sound like this was a successful reopening from my opinion.

LEMON: Miranda, you've been talking to teachers in your district to ask for simple things like masks in a classroom, sanitation, and the county wouldn't do anything? Why not?

WICKER: That's a great question and one that many of us have been asking for a very long time. You know, the teachers requested very simple things. They said give us masks, mandate masks in the class room for teachers and students. Tell us how we can implement social distancing in our classrooms because we know that's difficult so, what is your plan to do that?

And prior to the start of the school year, one of the questions that they had, one of their requests was let's delay the start. Give us two weeks to see what these numbers are going to be coming off the end of, you know, our summer here and prepare for digital learning.

Give us time to prepare our curriculums for multiple eventualities. And for whatever reason, the county has decided that masks can't be mandated or they won't mandate it and nobody can get a firm answer why.

LEMON: My goodness. Listen, we'll have you back and we'll talk to you about it but this is unbelievable. We want you both to be safe, all the teachers and staff members and students, be safe.

TICHENOR: Thank you.

LEMON: Thank you both for joining us.

WICKER: Thank you.

LEMON: Thanks so much.

TICHENOR: Thank you.

LEMON: I want to get to Athena Jones now with the very latest on the coronavirus.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight, new coronavirus infections holding steady or falling in 44 states.

[23:14:57]

The U.S. averaging just under 53,000 new cases a day for the last seven days, an 11 percent drop from the previous week. But still, far too high.

MICHAEL MINA, DEPARTMENT OF IMMUNOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE, HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: We should not settle for having 50,000 new cases per day. Any cases anywhere really keep risks pretty high all across the entirety of the United States.

JONES (voice-over): With COVID deaths nationwide still surging, averaging more than 1,000 a day for 16 straight days, Florida and Georgia hitting new records for daily deaths Tuesday. Those states also lead the country in new cases per capita over the past seven days.

And infections are surging in states like Indiana, up about 18 percent over last week and North Dakota with about 20 percent more cases this week.

Data from the health department in Louisiana, another state where daily deaths are climbing show some of the risks associated with reopening the economy, 835 cases traced back to bars, restaurants or casinos.

COLEEN KRAFT, ASSOCIATE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, EMORY UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: We are now going to be living with COVID for a long time because of the sluggish response in the United States.

JONES (voice-over): There is new information about the toll COVID-19 is taking on health care workers. A database developed by Kaiser Health News and the Guardian newspaper showing more than 900 have reportedly died from the virus. And amid often conflicting messages on masks, new guidance from the Association of American Medical Colleges.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not enough people are following these guidelines.

JONES (voice-over): Urging people to wear face coverings in indoor public settings over the nose and chin, minimizing any gaps. It says cloth masks should have at least two layers of fabric, preferably three. Meanwhile, dozens of COVID cases now surfacing in schools in Georgia,

Indiana and Mississippi affecting plans everywhere. Some 400 teachers in Elizabeth, New Jersey refusing to return to in-person instruction, forcing the district to begin the school year virtually.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a little disappointed in that but I'm also concerned for the safety of my classmates and myself.

JONES (voice-over): Concerns about community spread also threatening college sports with the Big 10, PAC 12, the Mountain West and the Mid- American Conferences all postponing the fall season. Even as the Big 12 plans to play.

VIVEK MURTHY, FORMER U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: What was true in the spring is still true today, that the road to reopening sports, schools and the economy lies in dramatically reducing rates of infection in the community.

JONES (voice-over): Athena Jones, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris making their first appearance together as the Democratic ticket and they're pitching 2020 as a fight for the soul of America.

Plus, the president boosting a Georgia House candidate who really spreads conspiracies and bigoted views like warning about the deep state and an Islamic invasion.

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[23:20:00]

LEMON: So Joe Biden and Kamala Harris appearing together for the first time as running mates of the Democratic ticket, going after President Trump with Harris emphasizing the need to repair the damage he's caused.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: We're reeling from the worst public health crisis in a century. The president's mismanagement of pandemic has plunged us into the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

And we're experiencing a moral reckoning with racism and systemic injustice that has brought a new coalition of conscience to the streets of our country demanding change. America is crying out for leadership.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Here to discuss, CNN Political Correspondent, M.J. Lee and CNN Political Commentators, Ana Navarro and Bakari Sellers. Bakari is also the author of "My Vanishing Country." Good evening one and all. So good to see all of you. I hope you're all doing well. M.J., let's start with you. Harris really going after President Trump.

She levels some pretty pointed attacks especially over how he has handled the coronavirus.

M.J. LEE, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: She did but Don, it wasn't just Kamala Harris' speech where she did that. Everything about this first joint event between Joe Biden and Kamala Harris was clearly meant to signal that this new ticket and this new team plans on handling everything about the coronavirus differently from Donald Trump and his administration.

I mean, you look at the event itself, there is not an audience. All of the reporters were sitting apart from each other so that they could be socially distanced. And the moment that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden stepped into that room together for the first time, they were wearing masks.

And the event ended with the two couples, Joe Biden, Jill Biden and Kamala Harris and her husband Doug taking the socially distanced photos together. They didn't shake hands. There were no hugs. The event itself I think was supposed to signal that they are trying to follow every protocol that is being given by public health officials.

And you're right, the speech itself, Kamala Harris used to really go after Donald Trump in sort of the same way that Joe Biden has been doing these last couple of months. And not only going after him on public health side of this, but also importantly on the economic recession that the United States is now on.

And I thought, you know, one quote that she said sort of stood out and it sounded like the kind of message you'd be saying over and over again. She said, just like the inheritance that Donald Trump got, he drove the economy straight into the ground.

So, clearly this is a team that wants to draw that contrast and we actually just got word from the campaign that tomorrow, Biden and Harris are going to be getting a briefing from public health officials and then they're going to be speaking afterwards together in Wilmington, Delaware. So, this obviously, is a contrast from the president who has not, let's say followed guidance from public health officials.

[23:25:00]

LEMON: And clearly, as I was watching today and they were wearing masks and they were socially distancing, and from the words coming out of their mouths, I said, finally, some adults in the room.

Bakari, I have to ask you this. Today's speeches marking three years since the Charlottesville neo-Nazi rally. Can you believe it's been three years since we were talking about this, these neo-Nazis?

Both Harris and Biden spoke about restoring the soul of the nation. Did they plan this announcement to align with that anniversary or just a coincidence? BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I have to say that it

had some planning, but it's also coincidence. In any time you're talk about the direction of the Democratic Party when you have Kamala Harris and Joe Biden representing the future of this country having a ticket with the diversity that reflects where this country is going versus Donald Trump and Mike Pence who are still embracing the confederacy, talking about statutes and monuments.

Fighting a war that has been gone, the war that they probably view as the one of northern aggression, right? So you have these clear contrast and having a day like this where we remember Charlottesville, and Don, let me remind you and remind all of our viewers that it wasn't about those individuals in Charlottesville chanting Jews shall not replace us.

It wasn't about them chanting nigger. It wasn't about them saying all of these vile things. The fact was these individuals didn't wear masks. They didn't wear hoods. They were unashamed. They didn't cover their face. And I think what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are showing the rest of the country is that racism, bigotry, xenophobia, they have taken the hood off under the administration of Donald Trump.

They now have a president who lights gasoline to that fire, emboldens them, and I t's time to put a stop to it. It's time to turn our page and bring this country together, represent the future, which is what Kamala Harris and Joe Biden represent.

LEMON: Ana, at one point, Harris is saying that, you know, everything President Trump inherited he ran straight into the ground as M.J. just referenced here. How effective will she be at getting under this president's skin?

ANA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think she'll be very effective because it's been proven time and again that if something drives him crazy, it is strong women and getting confronted by strong women. I thought it was almost amazing that he's having to recycle insults.

He's gone back to the word nasty, which is his favorite word, but then again he's got such a small vocabulary, you have to -- it's no coincidence that he's got to resort back to the same words over and over again. Person, man, woman, camera, TV, nasty.

Look, I thought today's event was absolutely terrific. It was inclusive. I've known Joe Biden for a long time, 15, 20 years. Today was the best I have seen him in this campaign. He was energized and invigorated and I think he knew he made the right choice.

He's seen it in all the ways that we measure, whether it's fundraising, and the reaction in social media, and by colleagues, elected officials, influential, and by people. They've raised over $26 million in 24 hours.

Listen, I'm here in Miami, Florida. There's been this general feeling of malaise. We've become the COVID epicenter, and somebody was throwing fireworks yesterday from their backyard in my neighborhood for over 35 minutes when the announcement came. People are optimistic for the first time during this pandemic.

LEMON: Wow. Wow. And nobody caring (ph) them, I hope, and call the cops. Listen, M.J., I just want to -- Harris is sharing this connection between -- let me ask you something real quick before I go to M.J. Bakari, Ana brings up a good point about Joe Biden today and, you know, his demeanor. Do you think he feels like finally the entire burden is off my shoulder and now I have someone to help me carry this wall?

SELLERS: No, I think he's more than capable of carrying the ball, but I do think that he felt some sense of pride. I mean, look, today you saw empathy. You saw compassion. You saw emotions that the president of the United States currently is not capable of having.

You saw a genuine -- you saw a genuine conversation about the love of family, not just the love of thy self, right. SO, it was a totally, totally different discussion. I thought what you saw some sense of pride.

This is fascinating to me because Joe Biden -- Joe Biden has been a transcended figure in American politics serving as the vice president to the first black president and now he brings on Kamala Harris on his ticket. What you see a sense of pride, not necessarily a sense of relief.

[23:29:58]

LEMON: M.J. I'm out of time so I don't get to ask you another question. I'm sorry. But M.J., you work here. You'll be back on.

SELLERS: Sorry M.J. Sorry, M.J. I'm sorry.

LEE: No worries.

LEMON: Thank you. Ana, listen, I want all of you to be safe. But down in Florida, that's a hot spot, down in Miami. Please take care of yourself and your family. And I see your dog sleeping on the couch behind you.

NAVARRO: The only way she'll stay quiet is if I have her in the room.

(LAUGHTER)

NAVARRO: If I take her outside, she'll yap until she drives us crazy.

LEMON: All right.

NAVARRO: You know what? I chose a good year to get an emotional support dog.

LEMON: Thank you. I'll see you soon.

She is called black people slaves to Democrats. She has warned of an Islamic invasion. She said that -- this about the conspiracy theory -- about a conspiracy theory group QAnon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE, GEORGIA HOUSE CANDIDATE: Q is a patriot. He is someone that is -- very much loves his country. According to him, many in our government are actively worshipping Satan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Hmm. And the president is calling this Georgia house candidate a star.

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[23:35:00]

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LEMON: So the president is praising a QAnon conspiracy theorist, Marjorie Taylor Greene, after she won the Republican nomination for a Georgia congressional district.

Beyond QAnon, Greene also has a troubling history of making bigoted statements.

Here is CNN's Manu Raju.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was real. He was not a conspiracy.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a conspiracy theory born on the dark fringes of the internet. Something the FBI contends is a national security threat. But the QAnon theory has been embraced by some House Republican candidates in races across the country. And on Tuesday night, one of them won her republican primary and is on track to winning a House seat in November.

GREENE: I just want to say to Nancy Pelosi, she's a hypocrite, she's an anti-American, and we're going to kick that bitch out of Congress.

RAJU (voice-over): Businesswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is now the heavy favorite to win a seat representing a deeply conservative district in Northwest Georgia. Greene has repeatedly praised the QAnon theory.

GREENE: Q is a patriot. We know that for sure but we do not know who Q is. People believe that Q is someone very close to President Trump.

RAJU (voice-over): The movement sprung to life in early 2017, based on a belief that there is a high-level government official Q, who sprinkles clues on internet message boards about a series of massive deep state conspiracies at work in the country.

In 2019, the FBI raised concerns over the potential for violence linked to such fringe theories.

Greene also won despite a history of racist and incendiary remarks against Muslims.

GREENE: We have an Islamic invasion into our government offices. They want to put their hand on the Quran and be sworn in. No. You have to be sworn in on the bible.

RAJU (voice-over): About Democrats.

GREENE: They're trying to keep the black people in a modern-day form of slavery. It is a slavery system to keep their vote.

RAJU (voice-over): About blacks and confederate statues.

GREENE: If I were black people today and I walk by one of those statues, I would be so proud, because I would say, look how far I have come in this country.

RAJU (voice-over): And Trump putting a conspiracy theory about the liberal megadonor George Soros, echoing an erroneous anti-Semitic attack against a holocaust survivor that he collaborated with Nazis.

GREENE: I will not apologize for saying that against George Soros, even when they want to call me an anti-Semite.

RAJU (voice-over): Her comments put House Republican leaders in an awkward spot, with the House GOP's campaign arm refusing endorse her on Wednesday.

When videos of her past comments were first unearth by Politico in June, House Republican Whip Steve Scalise vowed to back her primary opponent and called her remarks disgusting.

A spokesman for House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said they were appalling.

But President Trump was quick to hail her victory, saying in a tweet Wednesday morning, that she is a future Republican star and a real winner.

A couple of hours later, a McCarthy spokesperson said, we look forward to Greene and other Republicans winning in November.

Asked on Wednesday about Greene's victory in Georgia and embrace of the fringe movement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CNN that Republicans seem comfortable with it.

(On camera): Now, Don, there have been -- other Republican candidates too have embraced some elements of this fringe movement. One Republican can actually win the seat, as well, in November. That is Lauren Boebert from Colorado.

She defeated an incumbent congresswoman in her primary earlier this year. Now, during her primary, she said positive things about the movement.

She said that she hoped that it meant people are returning to conservative values. She called this fringe conspiracy theory encouraging.

But since then, her campaign, she says she does not follow this movement, so it appears that Greene could be the one who perhaps may be the most outspoken on this issue, an unwelcome debate among many Republicans on Capitol Hill. Don?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right. Manu, thank you very much for that.

We have someone close to the White House. Why had someone close to the White House? People close to the White House seize on the QAnon conspiracy. And what impact will it have on the country and the election come November? That's next.

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[23:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: So on the same day Kamala Harris makes her debut alongside Joe Biden as the first woman of color on a major party ticket, President Trump embraces a GOP congressional candidate who peddles baseless QAnon conspiracy theories and has a history of bigoted remarks.

Joining me to discuss, Ron Brownstein and Tara Setmayer. Good evening, one and all.

Tara, this QAnon thing is a thing. This is not just like the wackos on 4chan. This is a real thing.

TARA SETMAYER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah. I mean, they are wackos, but there is a lot more of them than I think people realize. There is a reason why Twitter and Facebook did a mass purge of these thousands of these lunatic QAnon accounts.

You had 53 QAnon believers running for primaries in office across the country this election season, two of them winning primaries, this is concerning.

[23:45:02]

SETMAYER: The fact that the president of the United States is elevating someone like this, this woman in Georgia who has espoused such disgusting hatred in a number of ways, just tells you everything you need to know about the character of Trump and the kinds of people that he elevates.

His son has tweeted QAnon theories. They are tweeting things that accuse Joe Biden of being a pedophile, that there is some kind of deep state conspiracy of Satan worshippers.

I mean, this stuff is absolute lunacy. And Donald Trump and his surrogates and his family are giving them mainstream credibility. And the Republican Party leaders like McCarthy and others are now sitting back and just taking it because they won't stand up to Donald Trump. It a disgrace what the Republican Party has become.

You look at Biden and Harris. There is normalcy there, normal people that are competent and not subscribing to conspiracy theory lunacy. And then you have Donald Trump. It's America or Trump, folks. It's a pretty easy choice.

LEMON: So listen -- Ron, you know, she mentions the president and folks not standing up. Associates of the president like fired national security advisor Michael Flynn (INAUDIBLE) have posted QAnon slogans and memes as has his son, Eric Trump. President Trump has retweeted QAnon accounts. Should we be surprised the president is fine with Greene, with this candidate?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: No, because he has systematically dismantled the barrier between the Republican Party and far-right extreme. I mean, you know, go all the way back to Charlottesville and even in the campaign when he was playing footsy with David Duke before the Louisiana primary in 2016.

Look, you know, most Republicans do not believe there is a satanic pedophile cult operating out of Washington D.C. But in polling by the Public Religion Research Institute and others, two-thirds of Republicans do believe that Islamic values are incompatible with American democracy, two-thirds of Trump supporters say whites are as discriminated against as minorities, and almost two-thirds say immigrants are invading the country.

Trump is transforming the Republican coalition, essentially narrowing it to the voters who are the most uneasy about the way America is changing demographically, culturally, even economically.

And you see the contrast on the other side today with Kamala Harris who represents and embodies really not only what the democratic coalition is becoming but what America is becoming. You know, mixed race, child of immigrants, interracial marriage rooted in a big information age metro.

That is the America of the 21st century and that is what the Republican Party is seeding by allowing Trump to kind of drag it further and further from the mainstream.

LEMON: This is as we would call -- I would say lunacy. But in the old days, we would say, coo-coo.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: It's really crazy.

SETMAYER: But it's dangerous.

LEMON: But it is dangerous.

SETMAYER: It's dangerous.

LEMON: I got to run, guys. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you both. I appreciate it. Growing concerns about some major changes at the U.S. Postal Service

ahead of the November election. Why some are warning those changes could undermine the mail-in vote.

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[23:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Growing concerns over the U.S. Postal Service's ability to handle what could be a record number of mail-in ballots in November, after the new postmaster general, a Trump ally, made big changes.

CNN' Kristen Holmes has more.

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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New concerns tonight over how the U.S. Postal Service will handle the 2020 election.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): The current issues at the post office alarm every American.

HOLMES (voice-over): The Postal Service warning in a letter to the state of Washington, that despite a large influx of mail-in voting across the country this year, the agency would not adjust delivery standards to accommodate the state, urging Washington to use more expensive first-class mail to make sure the ballots are prioritized or risk that voters will not receive their ballots in time to return them by mail.

SCHUMER: The postmaster general is saying we should triple the rate of cost? To vote by mail? What a despicable derogation of democracy.

HOLMES (voice-over): The Postal Service defended the letter as standard practice, saying in a statement to CNN that the agency has been recommending that election officials use first-class mail for years.

But with more voters expected to vote by mail this year, it could be expensive, while desperately-needed federal funding remains out of reach with stimulus talks stalled on Capitol Hill.

The new postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, a Trump fundraiser and ally, appointed to the position in May, has made drastic changes to the post office, making major changes in leadership and instituting cost cuts that some workers say have slowed delivery.

Critics worry it's a deliberate attempt to sabotage vote by mail ahead of the election.

LOUIS DEJOY, USPS POSTMASTER GENERAL (voice-over): Let me be clear, that with regard to election mail, the Postal Service and I are fully committed to fulfilling our role in the electoral process. The notion that I would ever make decisions concerning the Postal Service at the direction of the president or anyone else in the administration is wholly off-base.

HOLMES (voice-over): Democrats also calling for the USPS inspector general to look into DeJoy's finances. New financial disclosures obtained by CNN showed DeJoy apparently did not divest millions in stock from his former company, a current Postal Service contractor, and that he holds stock options in major USPS customer, Amazon.

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HOLMES (voice-over): The Postal Service says he has followed all the ethics requirements but the financial arrangements are sure to bring more questions.

Mail-in voting, now, a political flash point.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a thing that will be a disaster like never before.

HOLMES (voice-over): With President Trump trying to thread the needle, arguing mail-in voting is a problem but absentee voting is OK, despite little difference.

The president has no authority over state voting methods, but says he is OK with absentee voting in key swing states like Florida, Arizona, and now North Carolina.

TRUMP (voice-over): In North Carolina, you can request absentee ballots right now. Absentee ballots are great, because you have to go and request them. They want to flood the market with ballots. And that's a disgrace. But absentee ballots are great.

HOLMES (on camera): And Don, we do have a statement here that I want to read. This is from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, about those financial disclosures.

He says, I take my ethical obligation seriously. I have done what is necessary to ensure that I am and will remain in compliance with those obligations.

But clearly here, there are going to be a lot of questions about this as we get closer to November. Don?

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LEMON: All right. Kristen, thank you very much. I appreciate it.

And thank you for watching, everyone. Our coverage continues.

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