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Trump Adviser: "God's Will" To Sign Executive Orders, But Republicans Considered Obama's Executive Orders Blasphemy; Democrats Deny Trump's Claim They Asked To Restart Stimulus Talks; Update On Coronavirus Response Across The Country; U.S. Democracy Under Attack: Russia, China Both Targeting Election; Fears Bike Rally In South Dakota Could Become Super Spreader Event. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired August 10, 2020 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: All right, listening to Peter Navarro there, a top adviser, it is God's will to sign executive orders like President Trump did with stimulus talks going nowhere in Congress.

But, of course, when President Obama did it, Republicans considered it blasphemy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Obama has been lawless in his use of executive orders.

MICHELLE BACHMANN, (R), FORMER MINNESOTA CONGRESSMAN: You're not a king or a dictator. You can't do whatever you want.

PAUL RYAN, (R), FORMER WISCONSIN CONGRESSMAN & FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: President Obama uses pen and phone and executive orders to exceed his power.

JOHN BOEHNER, (R), FORMER OHIO CONGRESSMAN & FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: The president said before that he is not a king but he's sure acting like one.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): Imposing his will unilaterally may seem tempting. It may serve him politically in the short term. We know this is not how democracy is supposed to work.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Nobody ever heard of an executive order, then, all of a sudden, Obama, because he couldn't get anybody to agree with him, he starts signing them like they're butter.

The executive orders are an outrage. We have a president that can't lead. He said, to hell with it, I'm not going to do this anymore. I want to rest and do other things including going out to play golf. This guy played hundreds of rounds of golf.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Quick fact-check, President Trump has actually played two and a half times as much golf as President Obama had at this point in his presidency.

But that aside, where does President Trump stack up in terms of using executive power?

After three and a half years, the president has signed more expectative orders than Presidents Bush and Obama did at this point in their first terms.

But when the opposite party is in power, well, in this case, the Lord is working in mysterious ways.

The president's actions are also causing confusion about how legal they are as well as how, when and if they will be implemented.

With me now to discuss this is Jeanna Smialek. She covers the Federal Reserve and the economy as a reporter for the "New York Times." And we have our Gloria Borger with us, our chief political analyst.

Jeanna, to you first.

What do these orders, even if they're fully implemented, do with helping states and Americans who are struggling?

JEANNA SMIALEK, FEDERAL RESERVE & ECONOMICS REPORTER, "NEW YORK TIMES": Not a lot. I think they really underwhelmed expectations in many ways.

One of the big issues here is that the unemployment insurance expansion, which would extend that expanded unemployment benefit of $600 a week to $400 a week, and theoretically through the end of the year, doesn't have enough money behind it.

And so it would tap relief, a pot of money meant to service hurricanes. But that only $44 billion in it.

And it would reply heavily on states for support. So one out of every four dollars meant to be funneled into the program has to come from the states.

We know that the states are already facing massive budget shortfalls. They've been hard hit by the coronavirus, and they've repeatedly urged Congress to step up with more help.

And so asking them to step in and fill that void at this time is probably not super realistic and will not lead to a good outcome here.

KEILAR: And, you know, Gloria, the catch is that three of the four executive orders can't be implemented by the White House alone. So what is the point for President Trump of doing this then?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Show. He wants to show that, with his signature, which we know is not true, but with his signature, that he can do what Congress cannot do.

And, look, the American public deserves to be frustrated by the way -- at the fact that the Congress cannot get together and come up with some extension of unemployment benefits. The Democrats wanted it the $600 level.

The president expects to be applauded for cutting that in half. But they ought to come up with something.

But the point of what the president did was to say, look, I can do these things, even though when you read in the fine print, I actually can't.

KEILAR: And, you know, to that point, Jeanne, what is likely to happen from Congress' point of view, certainly, when it comes to giving aid to Americans who are struggling? It's almost a dare to tell them to intervene in helping people.

SMIALEK: Yes. I think one thing that President Trump really has sort of touted about the executive orders -- and several are technically memorandum and not executive orders, so slightly less powerful.

But what President Trump touted about them is to bring everybody to the bargaining table. People will negotiate because the orders exist.

And we've seen very little evidence of the Democrats that there's been an impetus to strike a deal because of this.

There's a lot of daylight between what the Democrats on Capitol Hill are pushing for and willing to get and Democrats are willing to offer.

Democrats have been pushing for a lot more benefits to the states, been asking for sort of a continuation of these fairly generous unemployment benefit that the Republicans resisted.

And until we get agreement on the critical issues, the executive orders probably won't do a lot in terms of a deal to be struck.

[13:35:02]

KEILAR: And, Gloria, the president revealed this when he claimed the Democrats asked to restart talks only to have Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer say, that's not really true. What are you hearing?

BORGER: That it's not really true. That the Democrats haven't asked to restart talks.

I think the president is wanting to be the savior here. I pushed the Democrats back in a corner. Again, it's all childish games. They ought to get over it. But I pushed the Democrats back in a corner by doing this and now they will have to negotiate.

They do have to negotiate but for different reasons from the ones President Trump is talking about.

And, Brianna, the big sticking point here is, of course, the money for state and local governments. The president -- which is about a $1 trillion. The president is not interested in providing money to states, which he says have failed in their fight against COVID. And by that he's talking about blue states. He is not interested in doing that.

And the Democrats are saying we have to provide this money to state and local governments. Otherwise, the first responders are going to be fired. They will not have any jobs because this is who pays their salary.

So this is a huge trillion-dollar sticking point. And something has to give on that.

KEILAR: Yes. It is not just blue states who have seen major challenges. We have to be clear on that right?

BORGER: No. Of course.

KEILAR: All right, Gloria, thank you so much.

BORGER: Of course.

Jeanna Smialek, we really appreciate it.

Chicago's mayor scolding beach goers after this scene. Find out what she did in response.

Plus, hear what the future of malls may look like as stores start going empty.

And America's democracy is under attack as Russia and China target the election just three months away. What the national security adviser reveals.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:41:38]

KEILAR: Chicago's mayor has a stern message. After spotting a large crowd gathered at a popular beach, Mayor Lightfoot snapped this picture and dozens of people are crowded together. Many don't have face masks on. They're not social distancing.

And the mayor tweeted out the photo with a warning, quote, "It is called a pandemic, people. This reckless behavior on Montrose Beach is what will cause us to shut down the parks and lake front. Don't make us take steps backward."

In another tweet, she added, "In case you're wondering, I stopped by to see for myself. It's being addressed." Few hours later, fencing went up where those beachgoers had gathered.

For more COVID headlines across the country, let's check in with some of our CNN correspondents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, I'm Polo Sandoval, in Chicago, where the city says, if you violate the travel order and post about it, they will track you down. The city restricted travel from COVID hotspots and now local health

authorities saying they'll look for proof of violators on social media.

The health authority here in the city saying that this new approach allows them not only the ability to identify those who are violating the orders but those that flaunt it publicly, too.

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: I'm Chloe Melas, in New York. Actor Antonio Banderas said he tested positive for coronavirus, announcing the news on Instagram Monday morning, which marks his 60th birthday.

Banderas wrote alongside a photo of himself as a young child that he feels, quote, "relatively well. Just a little more tired than usual."

He also added that he is, quote, "confident that I will recover as soon as possible." And that he will use this time in quarantine to read, write and rest.

Banderas is the latest celebrity to reveal that they have tested positive. From Tom Hanks to Mel Gibson, all of whom since recovered.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Alison Kosik, in New York. Amazon, the company seen as a big disrupter for retail, could be moving into your local shopping mall.

The "Wall Street Journal" is reporting that Amazon and Simon Property Group, the biggest mall operator in the U.S., are exploring turning anchor department stores into Amazon distribution hubs.

The talks are reportedly focused on converting stores occupied by Sears, by J.C. Penny and store items, including kitchenware, books, sweaters and electronics, until they're ready to be delivered to customers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Thank you, everyone.

My next guest says the president does not want the Intelligence Community to expose Russian attacks on the U.S. election because he is their beneficiary.

[13:44:16]

Plus, a moment of reckoning in college sports. College football fate is not certain and a decision to cancel may be imminent.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: The U.S. Intelligence Community is warning that Russia is seeking a repeat in the November the 2016 election outcome and is actively working to denigrate Joe Biden's campaign.

The director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center is bringing China into the mix, saying that Beijing prefers that President Trump is not re-elected.

The president's national security adviser said there will be consequences to any election interference by foreign adversaries.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT O'BRIEN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: Well, they'd like the president to lose. And China, like Russia, like Iran, have engaged in cyberattacks and phishing and that sort of thing with respect to our election infrastructure and Web sites and that sort of thing.

There will be severe consequences with any country that attempts to interfere with our free and fair elections. Whether their leaders prefer Joe Biden or President Trump, it doesn't matter. We are Americans. We won't have foreign countries deciding who our next president is going to be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: I want to bring in CNN global affairs analyst and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Max Boot.

Max, thank you so much for being with us.

Can you just react to what you heard the national security adviser say?

[13:50:01]

MAX BOOT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: I think Robert O'Brien is trying to pull the wool over our eyes. Because what he and President Trump are trying to do is to suggest, well, there are some foreign countries in favor of Joe Biden, some in favor of Trump, it all kind of washes out.

In fact, if you actually read what the Intelligence Community is saying, they're saying something different, which is there's no comparison between the covert, disinformation campaign that Russia is running, for the second time, to re-re-elect President Trump, just as they helped elect him in 2016.

There's no comparison between that Russian campaign and the efforts of China, Iran or others, because those countries, while they may oppose President Trump's re-election, they're not trying to interfere in U.S. politics in the same way.

And unfortunately, what Robert O'Brien and President Trump are doing is they're, in effect, enabling the Russian election attacks by trying to prevent the Intelligence Community from exposing them.

KEILAR: Do you see them as welcoming the attacks?

BOOT: Absolutely. I mean, they won't come out and say so. Although, in fact, in some ways they have said so. I mean, President Trump, last summer, said that he would welcome foreign election interference in the United States. And clearly, based on their actions, that is what Trump thinks.

He does not want the Intelligence Community to oppose the Russians.

In fact, there was a blockbuster article in the "New York Times" magazine this weekend, which revealed that, last year, the White House tried to water down, in fact, did succeed in watering down the national intelligence estimate, which said Russia wanted to re-elect Trump. Then they inserted language that takes away that judgment.

And in fact, the article suggests that Dan Coats was fired as director of National Intelligence because he refused to make those changes. And subsequently, his successor, the acting DNI, was fired because one of his aids briefed Congress that Russia wants to re-elect Trump.

And now, of course, Trump, has the kind of sycophant in John Ratcliffe, a former Republican member of Congress, as acting director of National Intelligence, who will prevent the Intelligence Community from being as active as they need to be to expose what the Russians are up to.

KEILAR: The president's national security advisor also promising severe consequences for election interference. But then he also says this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: There's almost nothing we can sanction left on Russia. We've put so many sanctions on the Russians -0 that by the way, the prior administration didn't do. We've sanctions the heck out of Russia, individuals, companies, the government, whether related to Nord Stream or Rosneft.

We've picked out literally scores of Russian spies, we broke down all of their consulates on the west coast. We broke down diplomatic facilities.

There's not a lot left we can do with the Russians. But nevertheless, we continue to message the Russians and President trump even messaged the Russians, don't get involved in our elections.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Fact-check that for us. I recall, among other actions by the Obama administration, sanctions between the time of President Trump's election and his coming into the White House.

BOOT: Absolutely. There were plenty of sanctions from President Obama. And to be fair, there have been some from the Trump administration according to John Bolton. Most of those implemented over President Trump's objections.

But the notion that Trump has been clear about telling Russia to butt out of our elections, absolutely false. He's never said that.

Remember, in 2016, he said, "Russia, if you're listening, it would be great to get Hillary Clinton's emails." He's never said, Russia, if you're listening, butt out of our elections.

He refuses to say that just as he refuses to tell Putin do not place bounties on the heads of U.S. servicemembers in Afghanistan. Remember, they've known about this intelligence for months and haven't done anything about it. Trump has not called out Putin. It's pretty striking.

Trump has nasty things to say about just about everybody under the sun. But he never, ever says anything mean about Vladimir Putin. And he certainly never tells Putin not to interfere in the U.S. elections, which suggests he's giving him a go ahead to do just that.

KEILAR: O'Brien has been, it's worth noting, one of his biggest defenders on his lack of action on those bounties, those Russian bounties on American servicemembers --

(CROSSTALK)

BOOT: O'Brien has no credibility. O'Brien has no credibility. He was just saying, unlike other national security advisers, he doesn't listen to phone calls with foreign leaders. That's part of the job. If he's not listening to the phone calls, what is he doing?

KEILAR: Yes, very bizarre for a national security adviser.

Max, it's always great to see you. Thanks for being on with us.

BOOT: Thanks, Brianna.

KEILAR: The largest event in the country since the pandemic is underway in South Dakota. And the annual motorcycle rally is bringing new fears of a super spreader.

[13:54:48]

And the president is predicting a vaccine by Election Day but vaccine experts say there's no way that's going to happen.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: There are growing concerns that a super spreader event could be happening right now at a huge motorcycle rally. Already for the second day in a row, South Dakota is reporting more than 100 new COVID-19 cases.

CNN's Ryan Young has been at the rally all weekend.

[13:59:53]

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, I'm in Sturgis, South Dakota. And you can see all the motorcycles in the streets. This is a town of 7,000 but it swells to over 250,000, they believe, for this event. This will be one of the largest events since the pandemic started.

And a lot of people here tell me they're so glad the event wasn't canceled.