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New CNN 2020 Polls; Democratic National Convention Kicks off Tonight; LA Schools Launch Testing and Tracing; Positivity Rate Falls in Texas; Homicides Spike since Late Spring. Aired 9:30-10a

Aired August 17, 2020 - 09:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:31:47]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Democrats, they kick off their convention week tonight. Pressure building for the nearly all virtual event to deliver as new polling from CNN shows Biden's lead over Trump narrowing.

CNN's senior political analyst and writer Harry Enten joining me now.

So, Harry, these latest CNN numbers, a big change in CNN's own polling in just a few weeks.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL WRITER AND ANALYST: Yes, you know, let's just put those numbers up and give you an idea of what's cooking, right? We still have Biden up, you know, getting a larger percentage of the vote, 50-46. And that, I think, is something so important to point out is that 50 percent number for Biden. In fact, if you go back over time, what's so key in all of our last few polls is that Biden is consistently at 50 percent or greater.

The other thing, obviously, we should note is there has been that tightening of the race since June, and that is largely consistent with what a lot of the other polling has generally showed, which is that there has been some slight tightening, though Biden is still certainly ahead at this point.

SCIUTTO: OK, there are other polls out with starkly different numbers. Help put us in the context, because you and I, when we talk about this, you always say, look at the averages.

ENTEN: Yes, so, you know, there have been a bunch of polls that have been released over the last week. And what's so important to point out is there's been a range in those results, right? And that's what we should generally expect, a range, whether that be on the low end with CNN with a four-point lead, or you go all the way up on the ladder and ABC News has a 12-point lead for Joe Biden. And that's generally what we should expect, right? There's a margin of error.

And this kind of basically runs the gamut, right, of what you generally expect in say an eight or a nine-point race given the margin of error. And, indeed, if you look at the CNN poll of polls, what you see is that Joe Biden, at this particular point, does have the advantage. He's up by nine points. And that is very consistent with the range of polls that we're generally showing at this point. Biden has a clear lead and is over 50 percent of the vote.

SCIUTTO: OK,, so what is the one finding that all the polls, despite those differences there on the horse race, that all the polls agree on?

ENTEN: Yes, this is the key nugget. And that is voter enthusiasm. And you can see this really well in our CNN poll. It is really, really high. Fifty-three percent of voters say they're extremely enthusiastic. Jim, that's not just the highest this year if you look at the trend line.

It is the highest in any CNN poll at any point in the election cycle that I could actually find going back 15 years. This is huge. This is indicating that, in my mind, there's going to be a record turnout this time around. We saw a record turnout last time in the midterm in 2018. I wouldn't be surprised if 150 million or more people cast a ballot.

SCIUTTO: Wow.

ENTEN: Turnout is going to be very high. Voters are really enthusiastic.

SCIUTTO: It's a big number. Thanks so much, Harry.

ENTEN: It's a huge number.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

ENTEN: Thank you, sir.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Well, tonight's convention is a technological feat as some of the biggest names in the Democratic Party will make their speeches, but they're all remote and they're from all across the country, all leading up to Biden's big acceptance speech Thursday from Delaware.

Tonight, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Senator Bernie Sanders, Republican John Kasich will be on stage.

Let's dig deeper into the decision-making.

[09:35:00]

With me now is DNC Communications Director Xochitl Hinojosa.

Good to have you. Good morning.

XOCHITL HINOJOSA, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, DNC: Good morning.

HARLOW: A big week for you guys. I know not the way that you imagined it but this is what it is. You know, usually you have conventions, you have like pep rallies, you have balloons coming down from the ceiling. None of that is here. And it's in a moment when CNN's new poll, I know you've seen it out this morning, shows that the president is trailing Biden by just four points. That's the margin of error. The CNN poll of polls does show a nine-point spread in favor of Biden. But what do you need to do to generate excitement about your candidate?

HINOJOSA: Well, first of all, this is an unconventional convention, but we're also in unprecedented times. Right now you have families all across this country who are battling with whether it's safe to send your kids to school. There are people who have lost their jobs.

And we have people -- we know people who have died from the coronavirus. And so I think that tonight especially we will focus on we the people. That will be the theme for tonight. And the overall theme for our convention is uniting America. We want to make sure that we are bringing people together.

Specifically when it comes to tonight, you're going to hear stories from the American people about how they've been impacted by Trump's policies, and you're going to hear about the three big crises, which is coronavirus, folks losing their jobs, and the economy, and the racial unrest. And so that's a little bit of a preview for tonight.

But when it comes to polling, we have no doubt that when the American people see this program tonight, they're going to see the two very different Americas. The one that Donald Trump has sort of put forth and his lack of a plan to get us out of this pandemic, and then a build back better plan and a plan to make America stronger and better. And we understand that regardless of these crises, America can come together. That is our hope for tonight.

HARLOW: Let's talk about the theme you just brought up, which is we the people tonight, OK. But as you mentioned, rightly so, millions unemployed. So many -- so many deaths, many of which could have been prevented by better policy and more immediate action. You know, the challenge of so many parents whose kids aren't going to be able to go back to school.

Susan Wild, a freshman Pennsylvania Democrat, who won a flip seat in 2008, wrote about this and is quoted in "USA Today" this morning with a really interesting take and she worries about the message that that statement could send to voters heading into convention week.

She says, quote, the mood of the American people could be, you know, they should all be thrown out. Government is useless to us.

How do you convince voters that that's not the case with the Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris?

HINOJOSA: Well, this should never be the norm. We are at a low right now, but at the same time we need steady leadership to get us out of this pandemic, to get us back on track, to make sure that our kids can go to school safely. And so I think that what you will hear tonight is you will hear from

our Democratic leaders, from all across this country, and governors, like Governor Whitmer and Governor Cuomo, who have both worked hard on this pandemic and have states that, you know, they've obviously been on the front lines of this pandemic.

At the same time, you'll hear the stories from American people. And so you will -- we will also showcase the steady leadership of Joe Biden throughout the week. And especially when it comes to this joint ticket of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, there is no better ticket than to lead on day one. And it is what the point that we will be making.

HARLOW: Xochitl, one thing that is very interesting, right, is you're going to have John Kasich, you know, former Republican governor, on the stage tonight. You're going to have Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on stage tomorrow night. It just shows a difference of those who are supporting this ticket. But also you have those on the -- in the progressive wing of the party that think it's not liberal enough, right?

And so I want you to address some of those concerns because those are voters you want and voters that you need. Senator Bernie Sanders, former press secretary, as you know, Brianna Joy Gray (ph), here's what she tweeted, quote, we are in the midst of the largest protest movement in American history, the subject of which is excessive policing and the Democratic Party chose a top cop, she's referring to Kamala Harris, and the author of Joe Biden's crime bill to save us from Trump. The contempt for the base is here, wow.

What do you say to those in your party who agree with that?

HINOJOSA: Well, first of all, Kamala Harris brought a lot of enthusiasm to this ticket and also she joined the ticket and them together they are ready to lead on day one. As a Latina, I am extremely --

HARLOW: But to this specific -- to this specific criticism, it is coming from the woman who, you know, ran communications for Senator Sanders.

HINOJOSA: Well, when it comes to our convention and the speakers that you mentioned, our party is about inclusion, not exclusion. And I think that that's what you're going to see all -- all throughout this program.

One key point is the only way that we win this election is to make sure that we are bringing everybody in regardless of who you voted for in 2016, regardless of whether you voted in the Democratic Party, because this is a crucial election.

[09:40:04]

There is so much at stake. And whether it is Republican leaders who are speaking at our convention because they believe the need to speak out against Donald Trump or those who have been in our party for a long time, we want to make sure that we are lifting up all voices right now because that is the only way that we beat Donald Trump in November and we're glad for -- to have all of these leaders support Joe Biden.

HARLOW: It's a big day, a big night for you guys. Obviously, we're going to carry it all here live on CNN. People can watch.

Xochitl Hinojosa, thanks.

HINOJOSA: Thanks so much for having me.

HARLOW: All right, a rare fire tornado. That's what it is. Look at that. That is in California, as the state battles natural disasters in the middle of this pandemic. We'll have a live report on the ground, next.

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[09:45:08]

HARLOW: Welcome back.

You've heard so much about testing and tracing, but now Los Angeles schools are kicking off a huge program doing exactly that for students.

Stephanie Elam joins us.

Good morning, Stephanie.

I mean California has been hit so hard, but this could prove to be really effective in keeping the schools, the students, the staff safe.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and you think about how huge LAUSD is, you're talking about -- about a half a million people here that would be affected by this. And so what we are learning from the superintendent, Austin Beutner, what they're planning on doing here is providing testing for the staff, for their students and then also for family members when somebody tests positive within that household, they would go ahead and test them as well.

This program is being rolled out, phased out starting today with this testing happening with some of those staff members that may be on school campuses and maybe their children that are there as well. And the idea, though, would be that eventually everyone there would be tested. They're hoping that this will help the greater school communities.

And then on top of that, L.A., as a whole, because, obviously, so many of these people live here, and then that would give some idea of what's happening here with the testing and the contact tracing here.

What's also noteworthy is that they've created a task force and they're going to cull all of this data together that will be available to the public.

It's also worth noting that of the institutions helping out, you've got UCLA, Stanford, Johns Hopkins University, all working pro bono here. And then Microsoft testing experts, they say, and then a couple of health care companies, including Anthem, Blue Cross, and Healthnet all coming together to work together for this testing.

Obviously, this would be huge and it's a very helpful thing to have that information out there, Poppy and Jim, to help get these kids back to school and hopefully keeping them there healthy and safe.

HARLOW: Yes, it's been proven to work.

Steph, thank you for the reporting.

SCIUTTO: Now to Texas, where health officials there are reporting the state's lowest positivity rate since June. That is the percentage of people who test positive when tested.

Ed Lavandera joins us now from Dallas, Texas.

So what do they attribute that drop in positivity to, Ed?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Jim.

Well, as we've been reporting for the last several weeks, you know, tracking the medical data here in Texas has been rather difficult. It has been a highly fluctuating target. But the latest numbers suggest that the positive infection rate of coronavirus cases being reported now stands at 11 percent.

This comes after a couple of weeks where we saw it jump from 12 percent up to almost 25 percent. Volatile fluctuations in that positivity rate. This as the number of tests being reported was also plummeting here in this state. But over the course of the last few days, tens of thousands more tests of backlog have been reported. There have been reports over the weekend suggesting that it was some sort of coding error that prohibited a full report of just how many tests were being done over the last few weeks. And because of that, now the state of Texas is reporting an 11 percent infection -- positivity infection rate at this point.

And this is significant because, as we've reported, you know, this is one of the numbers that health experts across the country really look at to get a sense of how quickly the virus is spreading, and it's one of the markers that the governor here in Texas is also using to determine to what extent businesses can reopen. So that's why it is such a significant piece of data.

Jim and Poppy.

SCIUTTO: No question. Something to watch closely.

Ed Lavandera, in Texas, as always, thank you.

Weekend gun violence in cities such as New York, Philadelphia and Chicago leading to dozens of injuries, several deaths and sadly children are among the victims. We're going to have much more on this developing story, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:53:14]

HARLOW: We do have some very sad news to report. In Chicago, nearly 30 people were shot and three people killed since just Friday.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HARLOW: Right here in New York City, more than 40 people were shot over the last 48 hours. Yet another indicator of the disturbing surge in gun violence that we have been seeing all summer.

SCIUTTO: What's behind it? How spread -- how widespread?

CNN's Josh Campbell joins us now for more on this.

Josh, how widespread and what do police attribute this to?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim and Poppy, a very violent weekend in the United States of America. As you mentioned, in the city of Chicago, nearly 30 people were shot. And as we talk about some of these statistics, it's important to remember that we're talking about human beings, about people. Thirty people shot, nearly three people that were killed. And that -- those instances in Chicago, in separate incidents, a 12-year-old was shot, a 14-year-old, two 16- year-olds, some of the victims very young.

Also a violent weekend in the city of New York with 40 people shot in 48 hours from Friday into Saturday. As we speak right now, in Austin, Texas, northwest, Cedar Park, Texas, there was an ongoing hostage situation. Three officers were shot there. They're in stable condition. As we speak, a subject remains barricaded with a hostage. So a very violent situation.

This comes as we're learning in this report from a criminal justice think tank telling us that crimes in major cities, 20 U.S. cities, are up 37 percent. These are homicides. We're also learning that assaults are up 35 percent. The reasons remain very elusive for criminal justice -- excuse me, experts, they tell us that it's the convergence of issues, from the pandemic, to more guns, to law enforcement possibly throttling back in the wake of a lot of social unrest and controversies there.

But regardless of the reason, and they continue to look for that, it remains a very violent time in the United States of America.

[09:55:03]

Jim and Poppy.

HARLOW: Yes. And, Josh, I mean not to mention the economy. If you -- if people do not have hope that their economic situation is going to get better, that -- that contributes to it.

What do we know in terms of what the polling is showing us regarding public confidence in police right now?

CAMPBELL: Yes, well, and, you know, I talk about this convergence of all of these issues.

HARLOW: Yes.

CAMPBELL: We know there's violence. We also know now, based on some of this data, that confidence in police is down. Gallup came out with polling saying for the first time in nearly three decades less than half of the country, 48 percent, have confidence in police. There's this breakdown by race where African-Americans distrust police more than white people.

You know, some of the experts tell us that it's largely due to some of these recent incidents of excessive use of force by police. Of course, law enforcement tells us that they don't want a broad brush. This doesn't represent all of the police officers. But, nevertheless, these controversial incidents having a real impact on public confidence and police.

HARLOW: For sure. I did see interesting polling over the weekend from Minneapolis where, of course, George Floyd what is killed, and it did show that a majority there, Josh, do not support defunding the police.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HARLOW: Which is just interesting after seeing everything that had happened there.

We appreciate the reporting in Los Angeles. Josh Campbell for us.

Well, Democratic lawmakers ramp up their investigation into the U.S. Postal Per vice. Could the president address the issue when he leaves the White House in a few minutes? He might. We'll be listening.

Stay right here.