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Biden and Harris Appear for First Time as Running Mates; Trump: Harris was Angry after Dropping Out of Race; How Kamala Harris' Indian Roots Shaped Her Political Views; 17 Straight Days Averaging 1,000+ Deaths in U.S.; College Football Conferences Split on Whether to Play; CDC Director on Prevention: We All Got to Do It; Some European Nations Struggling with Surging Cases. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired August 13, 2020 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM and I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, Kamala Harris wasting no time getting into the race for the White House. She made her first appearance with Joe Biden and not surprisingly Donald Trump was in her sights.

The coronavirus death toll climbs. Nearly 1,500 deaths in the United States Wednesday but the rate of infection is slowing down.

And in Europe the rate of infection is increasing. Leading to fears of a second wave. We're live in Spain where the numbers are rising rapidly.

Good to have you with us.

Well, we are now 82 days away from election day in America and we've just gotten our first look at the Democratic ticket. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris who appeared together for the first time as running mates. The presidential and VP candidates held their first campaign event in Delaware. They detailed their vision and took aim at President Donald Trump. CNN's Arlette Saenz has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Joe Biden and Kamala Harris making their debut as the Democratic ticket.

JOE BIDEN, PRESUMPTIVE U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: The choice we make this November is going to decide the future of America for a very, very long time.

SAENZ: After facing off in the Democratic primary, Biden chose a former rival as his running mate saying she's ready to lead on day one.

BIDEN: Kamala as you all know is smart, she's tough, she's experienced, she's a proven fighter with the backbone of this country. Kamala knows how to govern. She knows how to make the hard calls. She's ready to take this job on day one.

SAENZ: Harris making history as the first woman of color on a major party ticket. Preparing to take the fight to President Trump.

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA): This is a moment of real consequence for America. Everything we care about, our economy, our health, our children, the kind of country we live in. It's all on the line. America is crying out for leadership. Yet we have a President who cares more about himself than the people who elected him.

SAENZ: Biden's decision capped off a month-long search with his team extensively vetting 11 women. In the last week and a half Biden interviewed them all himself in a mix of in person and remote conversations. On a video chat Tuesday the former Vice President asked Harris to be his VP.

B: You ready to go to work?

H. Oh, my God. I'm so ready to go to work.

B: First of all, is the answer yes?

H: The answer is absolutely yes, Joe. And I am ready to work. I am ready to do this with you, for you. I just -- I'm just deeply honored and I'm very excited.

SAENZ: The coronavirus pandemic made this rollout vastly different than past running mate announcements. Like in 2008 in Springfield, Illinois, where Biden appeared for the first time as Barack Obama's running mate in front of thousands of supporters. This time Biden and his running mate in a high school gym in Delaware, a small, socially distanced event with candidates and attendees in masks. Their spouses Jill Biden and Doug Emhoff also on hand.

The two families share a common bond over Biden's late son Bo. Harris and Bo became friends when they served together as attorneys general in their home states. That relationship playing a role in her new partnership as Biden's running mate.

H: The love that they shared was incredible to watch. It was the most beautiful display of the love between a father and a son.

SAENZ (on camera): After their in-person event together, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris held a virtual grassroots fundraiser with supporters. Biden announcing they raised $26 million in their first day as the full Democratic ticket.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, Wilmington, Delaware.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And Donald Trump wasted no time slamming Harris after she was named Biden's vice-presidential pick. And just one day after calling her nasty and mean the U.S. President said this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look, he made a choice. He picked her.

[04:05:00]

I watched her. I watched her poll numbers go boom, boom, boom down to almost nothing and she left angry. She left mad. There was nobody more insulting to Biden than she was. She said horrible things about him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Joining me now is David Swerdlick, a CNN political commentator and assistant editor at "The Washington Post". Good to talk with you.

DAVID SWERDLICK, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hey, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So we all watched this historic moment, Joe Biden taking to the stage along with his new vice-presidential running mate Kamala Harris breaking through numerous glass ceilings there. How did they go?

SWERDLICK: So it's hard to say what's going to happens in these next 2 1/2 months or what happens in November. But I would say it's objectively that the Biden/Harris ticket won the day today. As you said, it's a barrier breaking moment on the ticket. First South Asian- American woman, second African-American, fourth woman -- excuse me -- on a major party ticket. And then you have a situation where, you know, they came out, both gave speeches that complemented each other. You know, captivated the social media audience and drove home the messages that the Democrats want to go into their convention next week with.

The line from Biden was that is it any wonder that Donald Trump is -- doesn't like a strong woman? And the line from Senator Harris was the case against Donald Trump and Mike Pence is open and shut. That's how they made their points and the speeches were well received. We'll see if Democrats can carry that moment into next week.

CHURCH: Yes, certainly. And Harris went after President Trump over his failure to contain the coronavirus, among other things. He hit back repeating his nasty woman stereotype that he likes to use, but he struggled with his attack message, didn't he? What did that back and forth signal to you about the likely road ahead?

SWERDLICK: So, Rosemary, this is the reason why Senator Harris was picked. She gives President Trump and the Pence/Trump ticket a smaller target than some of the other potential contenders. If you would have had Ambassador Rice on the ticket, Benghazi would have come back in. If Congresswoman Bass had been the running mate, Cuba would have been an issue. If Senator Warren had been on the ticket, Pocahontas would have been the Trump insult for the next 2 1/2 months.

But with Senator Harris, of course there are areas where she's received criticism, some for her record as a prosecutor, some for her performance early on in the Democratic primary, but it's a much smaller target, a much harder lift for President Trump to insult her, to denigrate her, then some of those other candidates. And that I think is why you've seen an ineffective response so far from Trump and other Republicans in terms of trying to tear her down. That doesn't mean Republicans won't figure out their messaging as they head into their convention two weeks from now. But it does mean that they are slow out of the gate.

CHURCH: Of course. So what do you think the optics are and the substance of this Democratic team going up against two old white guys on the Republican ticket? And do you expect far left progressives to get on board and vote this time?

SWERDLICK: So if there's any area where the Biden/Harris ticket is going to have a little trouble is with people on the far left who wanted to see a Sanders presidency or maybe an Elizabeth Warren presidency and maybe see Senator Warren on the ticket.

But where we've come now with coronavirus, with campaigning at a bare minimum, with the candidate like Vice President Biden who is seen by many as a caretaker, whose main selling point is that he could beat President Trump. Rather than a selling point about a particular issue a policy proposal. You have Senator Harris coming in now to sort of supplement that ticket.

They are both main line Democrats. She is considerably younger than him, a woman in that sense different, but they are both establishment Democrats who are meant to unify the broad part of the Democratic Party. And you've seen so far by the reaction by various voices in the party that most people are comfortable falling in line behind this ticket. We'll see if voters under 40, especially voters of color under 40 and people on the far left of the Democratic Party fall in as we head towards November.

All right. David Swerdlick, always a pleasure. Thanks so much.

SWERDLICK: Thanks, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Well, Kamala Harris has of course made history. She is the first black and South Asian American woman to run on a major political party's presidential ticket. Her father is an immigrant from Jamaica and her mother was an immigrant from India.

[04:10:00]

And for more we want to head to New Delhi and CNN's Vedika Sud. Good to see you, Vedika. So you actually had an opportunity to talk with some of Kamala Harris's family members. What did you learn?

VEDIKA SUD, CNN PRODUCER: Not so much really, Rosemary. So much about her family, how grounded they were, how progressive they were for the years that they actually were here in India, especially the mother Shyamala. She was quite the bold woman then. Because here in the 1950s in India, it was quite a conservative setup. But Shyamala -- Harris's mother -- actually decided to go abroad to America for further studies. That's when she told her father she's quite set to go to U.C. Berkeley. And that's when the father said, all right I'll let you go but I can only afford to pay the first year of your fees and then you're on your own.

And she was so, so bold with this and strong, she actually won scholarships. She became a part of the civil rights movements there in the 1960s as well. And that's where we believe that Senator Harris learned so much from the experiences of her mother. That's also where the mother and father met in the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Harris has always spoken so much about her lineage here in India. Another person who really infused her likely was her grandfather, the maternal grandfather who she would visit very often and who would visit her very often in America. Here's more about the family and the maternal uncle I spoke with.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: My mother, who raised me and my sister was a proud woman. She was a brown woman. She was a women with a heavy accent.

SUD (voice-over): And her mother Shyamala Gopalan was also the biggest influence in Kamala Harris' life.

HARRIS: The answer is absolutely yes, Joe.

SUD: After the big announcement Harris's sister wrote on a Twitter post, you can't know who Kamala Harris is without knowing who our mother was.

In 1958, a precautious 19-year-old Indian Gopalan traveled thousands of miles from her home and family to pursue a doctorate in nutrition and endocrinology in America. She soon became an active civil rights crusader while studying at U.C. Berkeley.

[03:35:15]

GOPALAN BALACHANDRAN, KAMALA HARRIS' UNCLE: Once you are in there, she always felt free. And she took part in politics. She used to bring whole series of leftist literature from Karl Popper, he was a great philosopher.

SUD: In her book, Harris says, there is no title or honor on earth I'll treasure more than to say I am Shyamala Gopalan Harris' daughter. Harris' visits to India with her mother kept her connected to her roots. Her grandfather who had strong views on humanitarian issues worked closely with officials to reallocate refugees. Their conversations had a strong influence on her.

HARRIS: Those walks along the beach in India really planted something in my mind and created a commitment in me before I even realized it. It has led me to where I am today.

SUD: Harris' maternal uncle Gopalan Balachandran, who lives in Delhi tells us how the Senator turns to her "amma", which means mother in Tamil for guidance even after her death.

BALACHANDRAN: I don't have to tell her make your mother proud. She'll say what are you telling me? Everything that I do, I ask myself, would "amma" approve of this.

SUD: Kamala in Hindi means lotus flower. And it's an important symbol in Indian culture. Rooted deep in the bottom of the river, very similar to Harris' Indian identity, which she wears on her sleeve.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SUD: Two very quick things as well, Rosemary, that is pointed out by the maternal uncle. One that Harris still misses her mother a lot. She missed her a lot when she's a Senator as well. And also, he did mention how many people call her the female Obama. To which he said, why can't Obama be called the Kamala in this case. Back to you, Rosemary.

Well, all right, Vedika Sud, thank you so much. Incredible insights there. Joining us live from New Delhi. Appreciate it.

Well, the coronavirus has been killing about 1,000 Americans every single day for the past two weeks. With more than 5 million confirmed cases in the U.S., there are finally some encouraging signs and we'll explain after the break.

[04:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: COVID-19 has now claimed more than 166,000 lives in the United States. Almost 5.2 million Americans have been infected since the pandemic began, 2 million of them just in July. But there are some hopeful signs. CNN's Martin Savidge has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the third day in a row the U.S. reporting fewer than 50,000 new cases of coronavirus

DR. MICHAEL MINA, HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: I would say it's still generally bad news. We should not settle for having 50,000 new cases per day. But the good news here is that cases are potentially coming down.

SAVIDGE: The CNN week over week tracking that going greener. The 22 states showing improvement but that news tampered by a still awful death toll exceeding 1,000 victims a day and COVID-19 hot spots are only growing hotter. Georgia leads the nation for highest number of infections per capita. Florida and Georgia both set new single day records Tuesday for coronavirus deaths. And across the South testing positivity rates suggesting the outlook there is getting worse.

GOV. GEORGE ABBOTT (R-TX): The most important thing I could convey today, found that even though the numbers of COVID-19 have improved, COVID-19 has not left Jefferson County, has not left Orange County, has not left the state of Texas.

SAVIDGE: A newly released database starkly showing the deadly toll coronavirus is taking on health care workers documenting more than 900 deaths likely due to COVID-19.

[04:20:00]

A disproportionate number of these professionals where people of color, nurses, and those working in facilities with shortages of personal protective equipment.

And there is this. The heartbreaking story of father and son physicians dying within six weeks of each other. 89-year-old Dr. Jorge Vallejo a retired obstetrician was believed to have contracted the virus from his 57-year-old son, Dr. Carlos Vallejo, who had been treating coronavirus patients.

Meanwhile, a new message on masks from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Simple dos and don'ts. Face coverings should cover both your nose and mouth, should be well fitted, cloth masks should have two layers, three when possible.

WARREN S. WARREN, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR IMAGING, DUKE UNIVERSITY: My rule of thumb would be if you can see a light through the fabric stretched out the way your normally wearing it, it probably isn't doing a very good job protecting you.

SAVIDGE: Experts also suggest for the most part people should wear masks indoors and outside when they're around others.

Then there's football. A day after the Big Ten and Pac-12 announced they were postponing college bowl football --

MICHAEL SCHILL, CHAIRMAN, PAC-12 CEO GROUP: There was just too much uncertainty and too much risk at the moment to be able to go forward with the season.

SAVIDGE: The Big 12 conference announcing today it will play. Commissioner Bob Bowlsby saying in a statement.

Opinions vary regarding the best path forward, as we've seen throughout higher education and our society overall.

But he went on to say the conference is confident it can, quote, optimize the health and safety of our student athletes. The SAC and ACC also planning to push ahead with the fall season.

ANDREW BOSILLI, FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL PLAYER: There's always going to be risks. They've put in place very strong standards to help daily screenings, masks everywhere, consistent coronavirus testing.

SAVIDGE (on camera): The Big 12 says it will test its athletes three times a week and that its football schedule will be revised to a ten- game season. Kickoff September 26th.

Martin Savidge, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: Well, Martin Savidge just mentioned two physicians in South Florida, a father and son who died from the virus within six weeks within each other. Several other family members also became infected. The grief-stricken family spoke with our Don Lemon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: What precautions were your dad, your grandfather and the whole family taking to protect against COVID-19?

CHARLIE VALLEJO, GRANDFATHER AND FATHER DIED OF COVID-19: I mean, he was real cautious. When my dad would go into the hospital, he would wear two masks, he would wear full PPE, the facemask, the gown, everything. He was as cautious as he could be but you know, you can cover up as much as you want. There's always that slight chance you can still contract the virus and unfortunately, my dad did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Devastating loss for that family. And by now we have learned that getting some Americans to wear masks has been a hard sell. Ordering people not to wear masks, well, that simply defies logic. But a local sheriff in central Florida has done just that. With few exceptions, deputies, staff and visitors are now forbidden to wear them. Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods writes in an email --

Now, I can already hear the whining and just so you know I did not make this decision easily. The fact is, the amount of professionals that give the reason why we should I can find exact same amount of professionals that say why we shouldn't.

Well that's simply not true, of course. And it's worth noting that even the U.S. President who took months to finally mask up in public is providing 125 million masks to school districts nationwide.

And the CDC director is promoting a very different message. He is asking Americans to do four things to prevent, quote, the worst fall in public health history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT REDFIELD, CDC DIRECTOR: For the country right now and the war that we're in against COVID, I'm asking you to do four simple things. Wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands and be smart about crowds. If you do those four things, it will bring this outbreak down. But if we don't do that, as I've said back last April, this could be the worst fall from a public health perspective we've ever had.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And a spoke a little earlier with infectious disease and global health expert Dr. Peter Drobac. And I began asking them if we all should be following the CDC director Robert Redfield's advice that everyone should needs to wear a mask and more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PETER DROBAC, GLOBAL HEALTH EXPERT, OXFORD SAID BUSINESS SCHOOL: At the stage, banning masks is akin to banning seatbelt or removing stop signs from intersections. It's just a dereliction of duty. We know that this works. We know that while it's a minor inconvenience, it can go a long way to helping to stem this pandemic.

[04:25:00]

And so, to everyone out there, whatever it is that you care about, if that's getting your kids back in school, wear a mask. If it's having football back, wear a mask. It's something that we all need to do to keep ourselves and our love ones safe.

CHURCH: And perhaps, a lesson to us all, we are now seeing Europe fight off a possible second wave of COVID-19 after initially containing it. If everyone across Europe had continued to wear masks and social distance, would they be seeing these new cases right now, do you think?

DROBAC: Will, first, we should note that the levels of infection we're seeing in Europe are still far lower than the U.S., but of course we are right to be concerned. I think it's a combination of individual behaviors and policies after containing that initial really terrible surge, I think a lot of governments were really anxious to get the economy's open and many of them reopen too quickly. Many of them rely on tourism and so to open their borders to tourists and that helped to kind of fuel the spread.

But we also then saw a level of complacency, particularly amongst younger adults who are getting back out there into clubs and bars and parties. And at least in some of the countries, we've seen as we did in Florida, the new infections skewing younger, but eventually that really generalizes.

We know that quick action is important, and so steps now to -- certainly to promote universal masking and probably to pull back on some of those reopenings and you know, maybe to close down some of the high-risk settings like bars and clubs and restaurants would be very prudent.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Dr. Drobac there talking to me earlier.

Well, Europe is bracing for a potential second wave of COVID-19 as case numbers rise. We will head to Spain next. It has the highest number of confirmed cases on the continent right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END