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Split Decisions For College Football; Biden, Harris Set For Joint Appearance. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired August 12, 2020 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Hi there. I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN. Thank you for so much being with me.

Just a heads-up, later this hour, former Vice President Joe Biden and his running mate, California Senator Kamala Harris, will make their very first joint appearance, as the Democrats prepare to go head to head with President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in the battle for the White House.

Team Biden formally introducing Harris, who is the first black woman and first South Asian American woman to run on a major political party's presidential ticket, to supporters in this video:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Are you ready to go to work?

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA): Oh, my God, I'm so ready to go to work.

BIDEN: First of all, is the answer is yes?

HARRIS: The answer is absolutely yes, Joe.

(LAUGHTER)

HARRIS: And I'm ready to work. I am ready to do this with you, for you. I'm just -- I'm just deeply honored, and I'm very excited.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And following today's appearance, the duo will hold their virtual fund-raiser. That comes as the campaign announced that it had both its best fund-raising hour and best grassroots fund-raising day after the news that Senator Harris was coming on board.

So let's start with CNN senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny, who is live.

And we know Joe Biden, he launched his campaign with the idea of restoring the soul of the nation, right, specifically calling out Trump's response to Charlottesville. And you have learned that that will play a role today. How so?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: It will, Brooke.

Today is the third anniversary of the Charlottesville attack, which left to one woman dead, Heather Heyer, the white supremacist attack there, which, of course, led President Trump to say there are fine people on both sides.

That, of course, played a central role into Joe Biden's decision to run for president. He invoked that during his announcement back in 2019. And today is the third anniversary of Charlottesville. So we are told that he is going to mention that as one of the reasons for running, to restore, in his words, the soul of the nation.

Of course, Kamala Harris, the California senator, plays into that as well. So it's certainly one of the thematic things we're going to see when we do see this Democratic ticket for the first time together.

It's been more than five months since we have seen an actual campaign rally on the Democratic side. And it was, ironically, back in Michigan on the eve of the primary when Senator Harris was actually endorsing Joe Biden. I was at that rally and saw them holding hands and putting their hands up in the air, and they even hugged.

That is not expected today. Of course, in the age of coronavirus, everything is totally different.

And, Brooke, we're also learning some new information about how this selection actually happened. We are reporting that, about two weeks or so ago, Senator Harris had a virtual conversation with Joe Biden. It was their interview. It was not face to face. It was over a remote connection.

And it was the first of about 11 interviews over a period of 10 days. While she was anticipated as the choice in the beginning, and we know she became the choice in the end, but it's so interesting, they did not have that face-to-face formal sit-down.

But, of course, they knew each other so well because they ran against each other in this campaign. So, when we see them together in that high school gymnasium in Wilmington, it will be the first time, really the next phase in this Democratic ticket, of course, all leading up to, a week from today, the Democratic Convention.

That's where Senator Harris really introduces herself to the nation and accepts the nomination, a history-making one, we should say, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Indeed. Great to get all this -- the details and the color behind the scenes.

Jeff Zeleny, thank you so much for all of that.

And let's broaden this out with three phenomenal women I have got with me, Angela Rye, CNN political commentator and former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus. I have Aisha Moodie-Mills, Democratic strategist, and LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter.

So, ladies, thank you all so much for being with me.

And, listen, we know that Vice President Biden faced all kinds of scrutiny over this pick, and was strongly encouraged to select a black woman, or risk alienating the Democrats' most loyal voting bloc.

So, just first to all of you quickly here, I just want to know what each of you thought or what you did the second you heard the news? And did you honestly think that he would select a black woman, be it Senator Harris or someone else?

Angela Rye, you in your Harriet Tubman top, I'm starting with you.

(LAUGHTER)

ANGELA RYE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I'm starting with Harriet, walking in the spirit of sister Harriet Tubman, today and still just elated.

I will tell you, Brooke, the first thing I did, I was on the phone with a good friend of mine who's also a former staffer of Kamala's, and we were talking about, when is this going to break? Like, I had known for an hour.

[15:05:00]

So, I'm like, when is this going to break? And we're on the phone. And I see it flashed across CNN. And I just scream. I thought I was going to be on air and be like sobbing, like it was finally a relief.

But I was so excited. I was like, OK, now we got to get to work. So, Harriet is a part of that. We got to get her on the $20. We got to move around the whole agenda. We got to get judges on the bench. And we got to fill this Cabinet. So we're just getting started. But I'm so excited.

BALDWIN: All right, so Angela's got the plan already.

Aisha, where were you? And what did you say, scream, fill in the blank, when you found out?

AISHA MOODIE-MILLS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I was just like, oh my God, it's about time.

I mean, here's the thing. Kamala Harris was the obvious pick from the jump. And the fact that black women, including Angela, led the charge here literally had to have a campaign with the Democratic Party to say, hey, you know guys that we are hypercritical to the outcome of this election, and that it is time for us to be on here, like, as vice president, is, to me, like, an issue and a problem.

So I had a big duh moment. The truth is, is that Kamala Harris was always one of the most prepared, certainly among the most qualified in the nation, to lead, and should have been a no-brainer. And so, for me, I was like, finally, we did the right thing. But the

thing that comes up for me, though, is that this is historic, for sure. But it's just the beginning. I look forward to seeing who else is going to be in this Cabinet.

Barack Obama had the most diverse administration in history, including so many LGBTQ people that I helped place in the administration. I am looking forward to now us breaking more and more and more barriers and for this to actually translate into black people being in power and some structural changes that -- to the condition of black America, rather than just simply being symbolism.

BALDWIN: Just the beginning.

LaTosha, I want to get your reaction, but I also want to ask you specifically. We know Senator Harris brings with her this vast network. There's, of course, her alma mater, Howard University, a prominent historically black university. She is also a member of AKA, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the nation's oldest black sorority, as well as The Links, one of the oldest black women's civic and service organizations.

And all of these groups could throw their considerable time and their money behind this ticket. What will that mean for the perception of black political power, not just in 2020, but beyond? And could kit make those outside of the black community take notice in a different way, LaTosha?

LATOSHA BROWN, CO-FOUNDER, BLACK VOTES MATTER: That's a great question.

I just want to say that part of what happened to me when I found out about the news, I was actually in the mirror. My phone kept blowing up. And I saw it, and I got the news. And I didn't know how to respond at first. So what I did is I -- at first, I was just like, oh, that's great.

And all of a sudden, I was overwhelmed with emotion. I started crying. And the face that I could see was my grandmother, who was born in 1910 in Alabama. And I remember she would take me to vote with her. I didn't know what we were going to do. I don't know if I knew what voting was.

But she would take me. We would dress up. She would dress up in her Sunday best. She didn't drive, so my grandfather would drive us. And she would always have what she called her pocketbook on her lifts. And she would raise her head up, and we would go vote. But she held on to that nice new pocketbook.

It was such -- and I knew that it was a special moment. And all I could see -- I was really happy about Kamala getting this opportunity. I was really happy about black women, who had pushed through this, but I was so happy about the nameless thousands of black women, like my grandmother, that the majority of her life, she was disenfranchised from actually being able to cast her vote. And so, as I think about that, and all of the foundation, how special

this is. And so having organizations and sororities, like the AKAs and the Links, and civic engagement groups and power-building groups, and Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter groups--

RYE: Uh-oh.

BALDWIN: Oh, did we just lose her? We lost her mid-thought.

Hopefully -- got to love technology in the middle of COVID, ladies. Hopefully, we will get her back up. I know she wants to finish her thought.

RYE: Yes.

BALDWIN: Let me continue on.

Let me -- Aisha, I want to start with you, because a couple of days ago, before this announcement, "The New York Times" delved into Senator Harris' record as San Francisco DA, and then California attorney general, a position she's held before being elected to the Senate in 2016.

And so Harris has called herself a progressive prosecutor. Critics say she didn't do enough. A co-founder of the New York City chapter of Black Lives Matter told "The Times" this -- quote -- "I'm not 100 percent sold, but we have to look at evolution. That top cop thing has just stuck. She built such a strong brand on it as an A.G., as the DA, and it's hard for people to erase that in their memories."

Aisha, her positions have certainly evolved during her time in the Senate. But how much of that do you think will be an issue with younger progressive voters? And how do you think she should reach out to that constituency?

MOODIE-MILLS: Well, here's the thing.

I personally, and I would imagine so many people, want to see in their leadership a person who can listen, who is extremely thoughtful, and certainly who evolves, as they try and test things that may or may not work, and then they grow and say, you know what, let's pivot, and let's do something a little bit differently.

[15:10:08]

Kamala Harris has demonstrated that, over the course of her career, she listens, and she absolutely has lots of room to grow and to evolve.

Here's the thing that I want to remind us. And I'm one of those people who also remember when she was A.G., remember when she was the -- quote, unquote -- "top cop." And I hate the language of that. We need to stop using Republican talking points to talk about our candidate.

But here's the thing. San Francisco is hardly anybody's conservative bastion. So let's hold her record up, for sure. Let's hold her accountable, her evolution that. But what we cannot do, if we want to get rid of Donald Trump, and get him out of this White House is, we cannot repeat Republican talking points.

We can't create a narrative to defame this historic moment, this historic candidate. We actually need to look at the fact that she, Kamala Harris, is better than anybody who is currently serving in this White House or this administration and is going to be great for young people, for black people and for America generally.

So I hope that we can focus on that and that we can propel this ticket forward, and that we ultimately can get Donald Trump out of the White House. And Kamala Harris is a significant key to that.

BALDWIN: LaTosha, I see we have you back. God bless technology.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: I'm so sorry. There's a storm.

BALDWIN: Do not even begin to apologize. You were mid-thought.

And I just want to defer back to you and let you finish your thought. You were talking about her sorority, Links, and we were talking about just the perception of all of this through the lens of 2020 and beyond.

BROWN: So, I think what we know is, what we all see is the fragility of democracy in this country.

And I think the only thing to make it stronger is that we increase civic engagement, that all of us literally dig in and recognize that, in order for democracy to be the way that we want it to be, to be strong, that we have to engage as citizens.

And so I think what we're going to see this election cycle, I think, as I'm talking to people, as we're talking about the folks who are supporting Kamala and Vice President Biden, but also people who really want democracy, and they're seeing the weaknesses.

And they're seeing that this administration is trying to unravel it. And so I do think that there is a lot of possibility and a potential for us to -- as we go into this next phase, to really be engaged.

Over 50 percent of people oftentimes don't even bother to vote in the election cycle. So this is really another opportunity for us to engage people deeply, so that they're actually the shaping of this nation going forward.

BALDWIN: OK.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: And then one more -- yes, please, jump in, jump in.

RYE: I was just going to say really quickly. You mentioned The Links and her sorority, AKA. And I just want to talk about one that Tiffany Cross, our good friend, was on a telethon that we hosted last night with all of the black women who not only signed this letter, but who have been organizing around this.

And, Aisha, I thank you for the credit, but I do not deserve it. There are 700 black women who worked on this effort under the leadership of Jotaka Eaddy. And so I just want to shout out that sister.

But, also, Tiffany Cross was on. And she said, the greatest sorority for black women -- and it is -- all of us. It's just a sisterhood. That is what I think will rise to this particular occasion. It did in the primary to defend her.

(CROSSTALK)

RYE: And we certainly did now to ensure that folks understood who Kamala is, her record, and also all of the other black women who were running and who were criticized unfairly in the press, which is how we all came together.

And that same spirit of unity is why we are where we are right now. And I can't think of anything sweeter than to be in the centennial year of the 19th Amendment that missed us completely--

BROWN: Right.

RYE: -- and to be so strong right now in the year 2020, is an incredible, incredible feat.

So, shout-out to you, LaTosha, and your grandma's pocketbook, girl.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: I love the grandma pocketbook story.

RYE: Yes.

BALDWIN: Thank you so much for sharing that. So good.

I have time for one more. And there is no segue, so let me just -- Kanye West.

RYE: No.

BALDWIN: Aisha, you're going to take this with me.

And it matters. Here's why it matters. Here's why it matters. "The Times," "The New York Times" is reporting that Kanye West met with Jared Kushner last week in Colorado, days after he basically admitted his long-shot campaign in an effort to siphon off black votes from Joe Biden.

But this is part of a broader effort that we have seen waged by some Republicans. And this is why it matters when it comes to the black vote and in 2020, including a Voting Rights Act that the Senate majority leader still has not brought to the Senate to restore the purging of voter rolls and limits on early voting.

So, yes, I get it. You roll your eyes. Like, Kanye gets the headlines.

But, Aisha, can you speak to us about the larger issue of voter suppression and the black community?

MOODIE-MILLS: Everyone needs to just pay attention to who doesn't want you to vote.

There's a reason that Republicans want to keep black people home, want to keep anyone from being able to vote, for that matter. Right now, Donald Trump is doing his best to essentially undermine the United States Postal Service, because God forbid people actually mail in their ballots and exercise their right to vote.

[15:15:11]

The question becomes, why don't they want us to vote? And it's because there is a power contingent, largely, in my opinion, fueled by white supremacy -- so it's interesting that Kanye becomes their token of the moment -- that wants to stay in power and knows that, when this rising American electorate of diverse communities actually show up, participate and vote, we drive progressive ideals, we have diversity and inclusion in a way that is reflective of our actual democracy.

Those people don't want that. They just want to hold power. And so voter suppression, as it has been since the beginning of time, was designed to, frankly, prop up the white patriarchy. And time and time again, if we dig deep to the roots of it, we're always going to end up at the same place.

And so I am saddened to see, frankly, black folk fall for that rope-a- dope and participate in it. We can absolutely agree to disagree about the issues, the policy ideas, where we need to go. We don't all have to be Democrats, for sure. And, certainly, we have to have our voice heard and participate, because it is literally our power, and we cannot keep giving that away.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: I appreciate it. We have to leave it. I could do an entire hour with all three of you all, but I can't.

So, LaTosha, Aisha, and, Angela, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Thank you.

We will bring you Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as soon as they appear.

Plus, there is some encouraging news when it comes to coronavirus. Cases are down nationwide, to their lowest level in a month. But there are still hot spots with high death rates. Schools are opening and then closing in chaotic fashion.

And, of course, college football is just a mess, more conferences announcing that they will delay the season -- details on all of that, again, as we wait for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:21:15]

BALDWIN: We're back. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Now long from now, presidential hopeful Joe Biden and his new running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, will be making their first appearance together since rounding out the Democratic ticket. So, of course, will take you live when it starts.

Meanwhile, for a third straight day, the U.S. is reporting fewer than 50,000 new coronavirus cases, hardly a feat to be proud of. But, still, these figures are the lowest we have seen in an entire month.

Now, not all parts of the country are seeing their numbers go in the right direction. And that includes Texas, where the state's caseload now tops 518,000. State officials there attribute the spike to people letting down their guards, by way of not wearing their masks, not social distancing.

And also in the South, both Florida and Georgia are reporting a record number of deaths. In fact, in Florida 276 people there lost their battle with the virus in a single day yesterday.

Georgia has emerged as a warning sign of what may come when schools begin to reopen across the country, as we have been reporting, multiple districts turning to all virtual learning in an effort to stem local outbreaks.

And then there's college football. The college football world takes unprecedented measures to protect its players and fans, the Big Ten, Pac-12 calling off football for the fall, while the Big 12 Conference vows that the games will go on.

Let's go straight to Georgia.

That is where Nick Valencia is standing by on schools.

And so, Nick, a spike in cases in one district has driven one school to pivot entirely to virtual learning. What's the response there been?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. This is starting to look really troubling in Cherokee County, about an hour north of metro Atlanta, where just in the last hour, a second high school in as many days has closed, Brooke.

Woodstock High School, according the Cherokee County superintendent, says 14 of its high schoolers have tested positive for the coronavirus. Another 15 are waiting on their test results. This comes just a day after Etowah High School closed after 200 of its students were asked to quarantine because of possible exposure.

That's roughly 12 percent of the school. And parents that I spoke to are starting to get really worried about not just what this means for students in classrooms, but what this could potentially mean for the county.

I spoke to one mother, Brandy Heath. She's immunocompromised. She has two young children in the school district. This is what her youngest child said to her after just the second day of classes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRANDY HEATH, PARENT: So, I sent my son to face-to-face learning because, as any parent knows, school is the best place for our children. Their teachers are educated and they can teach our kids things that we can't.

However, the second day of school, my son said to me: "Mom, I don't feel safe. We're not social distancing. We're not -- there's no precautions being taken to keep us safe."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: It's just been seven days of classes, Brooke, where they already have more than 900 students and teachers in quarantine.

We reached out to the superintendent of Cherokee County, asked him if he wanted to sit down for an interview. He declined that. But in a letter to parents, he defended his decision to reopen schools, saying that a majority of parents supported that decision.

The parents that we have been speaking to, they say, if they were surveyed today, their answer would be very different. They're concerned about the spread of the virus. And it looks like, from the numbers, they should be -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Nick, thank you so much.

Back to college football here, fans dealing with this major disappointment right now, after both the Big Ten and Pac-12 have canceled their games for the fall.

The Big 12, however, just announced that the season will go on.

CNN's Andy Scholes is with me now.

And, Andy, tell me more.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, Brooke, as of now, the college football season is on for the fall with three of the power five conferences playing.

And it's really incredible how this has all unfolded. On one side, you have got the Big Ten and Pac-12 saying that their medical experts and doctors say it's not safe to play football this fall.

[15:25:07]

And the other side, you got the SEC, ACC and Big 12 saying, well, their medical experts say they can go on with the season this fall. And the Big 12 made the announcement this morning that they would be playing in the fall with the SEC and ACC.

And Bob Bowlsby in a statement said -- I will read it for you -- "Opinions vary regarding the best path forward, as we have seen throughout higher education and our society overall. But we are comfortable in our institution's ability to provide a structured training environment, rigorous testing and surveillance, hospital- quality sanitation, and mitigation practices that optimize the health and safety of our student athletes."

Now, Notre Dame's usually independent, but they are planning to play in the ACC this fall. And their head coach, Brian Kelly, was on "The Today Show" earlier this morning. And he said it's certainly a challenging environment, but he thinks, with all the health and safety protocols in place, they can play safely.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN KELLY, HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, NOTRE DAME: We believe, based upon the medical information that we have -- and we believe that we have some of the best that are advising us -- and taking enhanced medical procedures, as long as we have a committed group.

And our student athletes have been committed since day one.

DAELIN HAYES, NOTRE DAME PLAYER: I would rather take that risk playing the game that I love and fighting for my career once I leave Notre Dame, so, I mean, I think a lot of guys feel that way. I think a lot of people expressed that sentiment, especially players across the country in their last and/or junior year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes.

And, Brooke, it's certainly been heartbreaking for a lot of those players in the Big 10 and Pac-12.

But just think about this, Brooke. In the state of Iowa, you have got the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten not going to play in the fall. Two hours away, you have got Iowa State in the Big 12, and they're going to play. Not sure what kind of sense that makes.

BALDWIN: All feels piecemeal, kind of like how all the rules regulations have been going just in the country overall.

Andy, thank you.

I want to get some reaction to all of what you just reported out with Dr. Jorge Rodriguez. He's an internal medicine and viral specialist.

And, Dr. Rodriguez, first just your reaction to the decision by the Big Ten and Pac-12. Do you think it's the right call?

DR. JORGE RODRIGUEZ, INTERNIST: Well, listen, I do think that not playing football is the right call.

Listen, I actually changed my orientation of the room today because behind me is my University of Miami (INAUDIBLE) jacket. And I have my mouse pad.

I am a huge, all right, college football fan, right?

BALDWIN: Gotcha.

RODRIGUEZ: And a huge Miami fan.

And it -- but when I take the hat off of the football fanatic, and put the gown on of the physician, I believe that the correct thing to do is not to play football this season.

Let's face it. We are basically running an experiment on what's going to happen to these young adults when they play football. And I got it. A lot of them, their career, their future may be on the line. The flip side of that coin is that, by playing football, their career may be on the line if they unfortunately get sick.

You know, if they were doing things like the National Hockey League and staying basically in a bubble, then maybe it would work, and get tested regularly, but they're going to be going out into a campus full of maybe 10,000 other students. I think it's risky.

BALDWIN: That's impossible in college.

RODRIGUEZ: Yes, it's impossible.

BALDWIN: Yes.

No, and I appreciate this, especially coming from a tried-and-true Miami fan. As a college football fan, it is crushing to hear the news.

(CROSSTALK)

RODRIGUEZ: Heartbreaking.

BALDWIN: But you also, from a medical perspective, you get it.

How about schools? Hundreds of students and teachers in Georgia, they're on -- in quarantine. On a bigger scale, what is the lesson that school districts across the country should take away from what we have seen there?

RODRIGUEZ: Well, I think the lesson is this is exactly what was being expected.

To think that children or, again, teenagers are not going to, A, get COVID, are not going to spread is completely fictitious. We need to have systems in place before this starts.

The lesson now is going to be -- and we need to learn the lesson now and make changes now, because if what we're expecting in the fall were to happen, increased cases, confusion with the flu, then it's going to get even worse.

So we need to learn the lesson that maybe we should do just virtual teaching -- this is my conclusion -- until we know more. So--

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: No, Doctor, no, I got you. I got you loud and clear. Not everyone agrees.

RODRIGUEZ: I know.

BALDWIN: But I appreciate, again, your perspective on all of this.

Dr. Rodriguez, thank you so much for all of that.

RODRIGUEZ: Thanks.

BALDWIN: And a reminder. As you're sitting here and you're tuning in, we are moments away now from seeing former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris together for the first time since she joined the ticket. We will bring that to you as soon as it happens.

And, as we wait, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee joins me live to discuss this historic moment.

We will be right back.

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