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Kamala Harris Makes History As Vice Presidential Nominee; Obama, No Single American Can Fix This Country Alone; Democrats Contrast Biden's Character With Trump's; New Evacuations As Lightning- Strikes Fires Ravage California; Australia's Quarantine Hotels Lead To Outbreak. Coronavirus Cases In Latin America And The Caribbean; Democrats in Unison; Kamala Harris Right to Become V.P.; Kremlin's Critic Hospitalized; In-Person Learning Not Advisable; Dr. Fauci Says Slowly but Surely. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired August 20, 2020 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: It's just gone 3 a.m. here at CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta. Wherever you are around the world, thank you for joining us. I'm John Vause.

With our coverage of the third night of the Democratic national Convention, a night without precedent, Kamala Harris, the daughter of immigrant, an Indian mother and Jamaican father is now officially the first woman of color, the first black woman, the first South Asian to be a vice-presidential nominee for a major U.S. party.

And in a sleek made for television presentation Democrats introduced the junior senator from California to America as an example of what is possible by choosing diversity over division.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I accept your nomination for vice president of the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Senator Harris played up a biography of overcoming adversity through hard work and determination turning struggle into success to make the case that she would be a champion for so many in this country left struggling by a pandemic raging out of control and the economic crisis it has called. While building a prosecutor's like case against President Donald Trump.

(SEN. KAMALA HARRIS' SPEECH)

HARRIS: Donald Trump's failure of leadership has cost lives and livelihoods.

The loss of opportunities, the loss of normalcy, yes, the loss of certainty.

VAUSE: As much as Harris was celebrated as the new face of a diverse Democratic Party, the overacting theme for the night was the threat to democracy posed by the current president. And it was Trump's predecessor Barack Obama who raised the alarm in a way memorable not just for the stark and dire words but also a rare show of emotion which at times verge on anger.

(BARACK OBAMA'S SPEECH)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I sat in the Oval Office with both men who were running for president.

Donald Trump hasn't grown into the job, because he can't.

VAUSE: And against that backdrop came the other main message urging voters to turn up on election day. With the 2016 nominee, Hillary Clinton arguing from firsthand experience that quote, "this can't be another would have, could have should have election."

The evening touched on the Biden administration's plan for gun control, health care, climate change, but everything it seems is seen through a prison of a failed Trump presidency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), UNITED STATES SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Who is standing in the way? Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump. Here is our answer. We will remember in November, when we elect Joe Biden president.

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): This crisis is bad. It didn't have to be this way. This crisis is on Donald Trump and the Republicans who enabled him. On November 3rd, we will hold them all accountable.

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: And don't forget, Joe and Kamala can win by three million votes and still lose. Take it from me. So we need numbers overwhelming, so Trump can't sneak or steal his way to victory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: CNN senior political analyst Mark Preston is with us now from Washington.

[03:05:00]

Mark, it was a big night for Kamala Harrison and a historic night for the country. But it's that speech from a visibly angry former President Barack Obama which seems to overshadow the V.P. nomination. Here's what obama said. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Donald Trump has not grown into the job because he can't. And the consequences of that failure are severe, 170,000 Americans dead, millions of jobs gone. Well those at the top taken more than ever. Our worst impulses unleashed. A proud reputation around the world badly diminished. And our Democratic institutions threatened like never before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: It really gets your attention when the 44th president warns the 45th president that he is a threat to democracy.

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: It really is, and especially when you hear those who are very close to Barack Obama who have come out and said that he did not want to deliver the speech this past night. He did not want to do that. This is something that he really aspired to do.

In many ways, John, you remember when he left office he said, I am not going to engage in criticism of President Trump unless, unless, you know, it has to do with the constitutionality of what he is doing or an injustice.

And tonight, what we saw from him is that he thought there was an injustice. And I got to tell, you strategically, it was very well played by the Biden campaign. Because what it allowed them to do, John, was allowed them to have President Barack Obama tried to beat up Donald Trump right before Joe Biden gives his big speech this evening and when he will try to convince people that he is the one who take on Donald Trump in November.

VAUSE: And Mark, we know that the president was listening, because in real-time he tweeted out again his accusation that President Obama was spying on the Trump campaign back in 2016.

Joe Biden hit back with a line from Obama's speech about Trump, unable to grow into the job. So, you know, it seems like it's gloves off, if this is the sign of things to come. You know, Obama and Trump going after each other. They weren't for an election campaign like no other.

PRESTON: Like no other. But you know what's interesting is Donald Trump laid right into Michelle Obama what she said about Donald Trump just last night when he said when they go low, we go high.

How interesting is it that you have the President of the United States in real-time criticizing his opponents with falsehoods. With, I mean, falsehoods, lies, just flat out lies. I mean, those tweets are in fact not correct. But it just goes to show you how worried he is right now about where his standing is in the polls here in the United States and the fact that Democrats seem to be coalescing around Joe Biden.

What they are hoping is there will be a split between Bernie Sanders supporters who didn't think that they could support Joe Biden. We are seeing right now is that the Democratic Party is been a lot more cohesive than perhaps they would have been perhaps prior to COVID.

VAUSE: Mark, thanks. Good to see you. Mark Preston there for us in Washington.

PRESTON: Thank you.

VAUSE: Now in accepting her nomination, Kamala Harris seem to define her role as Joe Biden's running mate, defender of the voiceless, the vilified and forgotten. A daughter of immigrants who would confront the systemic racism which seemed so deeply ingrained in American culture.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And let's be clear. There is no vaccine for racism. We have got to do the work for George Floyd, for Breonna Taylor, for the lives of too many others to name, for our children and for all of us. We've got to do the work to fulfill that promise of equal justice under law because here is the thing. None of us are free until all of us are free.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Alicia Garza is a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement and the principle of the back to the future action fund. She is with us this hour from Oakland, California. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us.

ALICIA GARZA, CO-FOUNDER, BLACK LIVES MATTER: Thanks for having me.

VAUSE: OK. This really was a moment in history without precedent. You know, given the Democrat primary was a battle between two old white men. What does this now mean for the United States? What impact will her nomination have beyond the campaign? Beyond the election? Win or lose?

GARZA: Well, I think the nomination of Senator Kamala Harris is not only historic, but it is the right choice at the right time. It would have been a big mistake to move into this moment of unprecedented rebellion of deep crisis with an all-white ticket that reflects the past of America. This ticket frankly represents the future.

[03:09:57]

And so, tonight was important. It was important in the sense that the Democratic Party, which traditionally, frankly, has been loathed to really embrace Black Lives Matter. Certainly, did so tonight.

Now the struggle ahead of us will be to match symbol with substance. And to make sure that the gap between them gets smaller and smaller. That's what that means for America tonight and that's what that's going to mean for the next 70 days and onward.

VAUSE: For Senator Harris, there is a lot riding on her shoulders. She represents this bridge between the moderate older Democrats, the younger progressive Democrats, between white and black America and other minorities, gender equality. That's a lot of expectations for one person, along with the fact that she has to be ready as commander in chief on day one.

GARZA: Sure. But we've done this before. You know, the election of President Barack Obama was also historic. And frankly, you know, he did not have a predecessor that he could take lessons from and learn lessons from.

In Senator Harris, she does have those lessons. She can both take the best and learn how to leave the rest. And she will be governing, hopefully, alongside someone who definitely needs her guidance and her wisdom. And again, this is important in this moment, because frankly, we have a lot of lessons that we learned over the span of eight years of what it means to have the first black president in the history of this nation, and in some ways, it's also as if the bread crumbs have been dropped.

And Senator Harris, I think, has the intellect, the wisdom and the will to make sure that she will pick up those bread crumbs and also drop a few of her own.

VAUSE: You know, where was not the traditional balloons or the bands or the cheering supporters. There was also socially distanced and you know, there wasn't the sort of buzz that you normally get. But still, why does it seem that there is a lot more excitement over Harris being nominated for V.P. compared to Hillary Clinton four years ago who was actually nominated for the presidential side of the ticket?

GARZA: Well, I think there's a few things, frankly. I mean, number one, we are in the midst of a series of interlocking crises. We are facing a crisis in our democracy. We are facing a crisis of climate. We are facing a deepening economic -- deepening economic recession. And Certainly, we are facing a global public health crisis.

And so, you know tonight's convention really reflected the state of our nation. I do think that moving forward, what is going to be incredibly important and what is different from 2016 is that people had enjoyed eight years of relative prosperity.

Certainly, from the perspective of the movement, there were deep criticisms about how we weren't going far enough, and I think in 2016 with the nomination and of course, the campaign for Hillary Clinton, it was a different moment. I think that frankly, the Democratic Party took for granted the movement moment that it was in the midst of. It had a hard time talking about Black Lives Matter, it had a hard time talking about systemic racism.

And so, I think what you are seeing tonight is an advance. Again, that critical piece here will be can we close the gap between symbol and substance? And I think tonight what we saw was at the very least an indication that this is in the consciousness of the party.

However, voters in this country will be looking for how we close the gap between symbol and substance. In fact, that's what we do at the blacks of the future action fund. We've put forward a black agenda that talks about how you make Black Lives Matter from city hall to Congress.

It's going to be important for the Democratic Party in this critical moment, to embrace those types of policies that meet the movement moment, but that also move this country forward. VAUSE: Alicia, I would honestly love to talk about it so come back

next hour and we'll talk a little bit more and we'll talk about black voter turnout and what Kamala Harris will mean for, you know, for motivation for black voters who essentially sat on their hands four years ago that do not vote. But for now, thanks for being with us. We appreciate it.

GARZA: Thanks.

VAUSE: One of the most outspoken critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin has been rushed to a hospital in Siberia, the victim of a suspected poisoning. Alexei Navalny was on a flight to Moscow when he became seriously ill, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing.

CNN senior international correspondent Matthew Chance is live this hour for us in Moscow. So, Matthew, let's start with the condition of Navalny and reports that he is currently on a ventilator.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, I mean, obviously details are a little bit sketchy at the moment. Because we're just getting, you know, word from state media's reporting on this. His press secretary who is with him, apparently in Omsk, which is in Siberia where he's been hospitalized. She's tweeting about this as well.

[03:15:05]

According to her, his condition while he's unconscious, you know, and he's been admitted into the toxic reanimation department of Omsk emergency hospital, number one. There has been a report on state media quoting a doctor from the hospital saying that he is in serious condition.

And of course, the speculation which appears to have been a suspicion shared by the doctors is that he's been poisoned. The circumstances around that -- he was on a flight from Tomsk, which is another city in Siberia in the Russian far east on route back to Moscow.

Apparently, he had been working in the area collecting, you know, kind of evidence of official corruption, which is what he does in that Siberian area. And he didn't have anything to eat or drink or he didn't have anything to eat on the plane.

Before he got on the plane according to the eye witnesses, he had a cup of tea at the airport. Sometime later when the plane had already become airborne, he became very sick. The airline says that they took all the emergency precautions they had to. They told the captain. The captain made an emergency landing in Omsk and he was evacuated to the hospital in that remote Russian city.

This video that's emerged from passengers on board the aircraft. And it's pretty horrific because you can -- it shows the point at which Alexei Navalny was taken off by medics who came onto the tarmac and evacuated him from the plane. But you can hear him screaming with agony in the background. You can't

see him but you can hear it. And it's really quite sort of unsettling and shows that this was clearly a very serious situation or is a very serious situation that Alexei Navalny has found himself in.

To be clear, John, you know, he is the most prominent opposition voice in Russia. The opposition is pretty fragmented here, but he is the most prominent of the Kremlin critics operating in Russia right now. He's been remarkably successful in recent years. You know, motivating people in their thousands, in their tens of thousands in some instances to come onto the streets to protest against official corruption in this country.

And of course, when anything like this happens to him, the speculation, you know, always turns to, you know, is he being punished for this opposition work? John?

VAUSE: Yes. We are out of time, Matthew, but the spokesperson there in the hospital just tweeted that the intensive care unit is now filled with police officers. So, we'll follow that up.

But Matthew, in the meantime, thank you. Matthew Chance live in Moscow.

Well, while the world waits for a coronavirus vaccine, there is word that even when one is approved and available, chances are it won't mean an end to social distancing, face masks and handwashing. We'll explain why after the break.

[03:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: The leading U.S. expert on infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci wants human vaccine trials to increase representation from minority groups which have been disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus.

Biotech company, Moderna, has committed to a diverse population for its trials on a sixth study supported by the U.S. government. And contrary to a timeline for the White House, a U.S. official says a vaccine could be approved and available by early to mid-next year.

In the meantime, as colleges and schools reopen, a growing number of students are being exposed to COVID-19 and quarantined.

CNN's Nick Watt has details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN JENKINS, PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME: We have seen a dramatic increase in the number of positive cases of COVID-19 in the first weeks back on campus.

(END VIDEO CLIP) NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One hundred fifty-five cases confirmed in just the past two days. Undergrad classes now online only for the next two weeks, but students are staying on campus. COVID cases now confirmed at colleges across at least nine states. More than 350 people are now in isolation at the University of Tennessee and Knoxville. The college has hired contact tracers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONDE PLOWMAN, CHANCELLOR, UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE, KNOXVILLE: That's how we found out about this first cluster. And they told us where it was, so we knew it was a party off campus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: The WHO says now isn't the time for recriminations over parties like these. It's time for education.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA VAN KERKHOVE, INFECTIOUS DISEASE EPIDEMIOLOGIST, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: We just need to make sure that the messages that are getting out particularly to young people, particularly to children and young adults, that you are not invisible to this virus.

DESIREE CADY, SON HOSPITALIZED WITH COVID-19: He would shiver, and it was warm, and then he would get hot when it was cold.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: Desiree Cady's athletic 19-year-old son Akiko (Ph) contracted COVID-19, reportedly suffered serious heart complications.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CADY: You know, there was a point that I actually thought that I may lose him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: Across this country COVID-19 infection rates are still very high, but falling. Unclear if that trend will continue, plateau, or rise again like a rollercoaster. Interesting to note that testing is down nationally, and as the president has said --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: When you do testing, to that extent, you are going to find more people, you are going to find more cases. So, I said to my people, slow the testing down, please.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: The bottom line, many, many lives are still being lost. Texas, accelerated past 10,000 COVID-19 deaths. Florida, fast approaching that same sorrowful statistic.

Meanwhile, FDA emergency authorization for treatment using blood plasma from the recovered is now reportedly on hold after a number of federal officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci argued the data is still too weak. This, according to the New York Times.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEANA WEN, PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSOR, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: This really underscores one of the problems in the pandemic, that, of course everybody is desperate and we want a healthful treatment and when you're really ill, of course you want to do everything possible, but at the same time we cannot take shortcuts in the research.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: Here in Los Angeles, the mayor has just authorized the city to cut off the utilities to a house in the Hollywood Hills, where he says parties have been taking place in violation of the rules designed to keep us all safe.

[03:25:06]

Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.

VAUSE: To Los Angeles now, and Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, an internal medicine and viral specialist. Dr. Rodriguez, good to see you.

JORGE RODRIGUEZ, INTERNAL MEDICINE & VIRAL SPECIALIST: Thank you, John. Good to see you.

VAUSE: It's been a while, so good to have you back. Now, for anyone who believes a vaccine will mean we can burn our face masks in defiant celebration. Dr. Fauci has a message, not so fast. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: So, if we don't get a vaccine, that is highly, highly, highly effective, even though it would still be a good vaccine, I think we would have to have some degree of attention to public health measures that's going to take a while to build up a cumulative amount of immunity, either induced by the vaccine or by natural infection to get to the point where you really have a veil of protection, or an umbrella of protection over the community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So, I guess what he saying, in other words, at least initially, a vaccine would be just another tool in bringing the pandemic under control. But I think the wider message here there is no silver bullet?

RODRIGUEZ: That's absolutely right. And even under the best of circumstances, John, a vaccine, as we know, how the flu vaccine is not always effective. A vaccine maybe 70 or 80 percent effective, which is the borderline that we need to give what is known as herd immunity, so that the people around us can get it, therefore we can get it.

The issue is not only do we not know about the vaccine, and its efficacy. A huge percentage of people are reluctant to take the vaccine, so let's say that only 40 percent or 50 percent take it, that brings us down to around a 40 or 35 percent of the population that will get it.

So, for a long time, probably a couple years, we're still going to have to be vigilant. We may still be recommended to wear masks and definitely the hygiene of the hands is super important.

VAUSE: Right now, in the side of Mississippi almost 2,000 school kids are quarantine because of possible exposure to COVID-19. There are concerns about outbreaks at two state universities. Against that old doctor Donald or the president, was dispensing medical advice from the White House. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: For older people and individual with underlying conditions, the China virus is very dangerous, but for university students the likelihood of severe illness is less than or equal to the risk of a seasonal few.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: He meant flu.

RODRIGUEZ: Yes.

VAUSE: That, I mean, can you fact check that for us? But is the bigger picture here -- there are there also this growing concern about the long-term prognosis for those who may have a mild case, because some are struggling to recover months after having the disease.

RODRIGUEZ: Yes. Well, you know what, he probably got his medical degree from Trump university. Because, you know, this is nothing like the flu. Perhaps, for some people, especially some younger people, it's a mild two-week course of debilitation.

First of all, there's nothing mild about that, and secondly, we don't know the long term ramifications of this illness for people of any age, so to say that, it would be ludicrous, it's very dangerous because it gives people a false sense of security which makes them reckless, which makes us all susceptible to this infection. Yes.

VAUSE: Very quickly, we're in the middle of a pandemic, we are coming into hurricane season, experts from Duke University say communities should be thinking about ways and incorporating COVID specific level care and planning, thinking about things like personal protective equipment, mobile testing capacity in places like storm shelters.

Given how shambolic the pandemic response has been up until this point, is this just more good advice which is likely to go unheeded?

RODRIGUEZ: Yes. It's actually great advice. This could be catastrophic. Look at the states that are most susceptible to hurricanes, Florida and Texas, the two hotbeds right now.

And I've lived through five hurricanes having grown up in Miami. You're not going to have electricity, you would have running water, you're not going to be able to even find your clothing sometimes.

So, this is a potential catastrophe upon a disaster. So, shelters need to be prepared with cleanser, with protective devices, with separation of people. It could be horrendous.

VAUSE: Yes. And that's exactly what is not needed at this point in time. But Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, thank you so much. Good to see you.

RODRIGUEZ: You too, John.

VAUSE: Still to come, Democrats are making their case that Joe Biden is a man of character, Donald Trump is not. But are Democratic voters moving towards their candidate or away from a president they hate? We'll discuss in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), 2020 U.S. DEMOCRATIC VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I have fought for children and survivors of sexual assault. I have fought against transnational criminal organizations. I took on the biggest banks and helped take down one of the biggest for profit colleges. I know a predator when I see one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Kamala Harris making history as the first black and first Indian American woman nominated to be vice president of the United States.

On this third night of the Democratic convention, she used her acceptance speech to focus on why Joe Biden is the right leader during a raging pandemic and economic crisis. But it was the 44th president who delivered a blistering attack on the 45th president, labeling Donald Trump a threat to democracy who uses the presidency as a reality show to satisfy a craving for attention.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Tonight I'm asking you to believe in Joe and Kamala's ability to lead this country out of these dark times and build it back better. But here's the thing. No single American can fix this country alone. Not even a president. Democracy was never meant to be transactional.

You give me your vote, I make everything better. It requires an active and informed citizenry. So I'm also asking you to believe in your own ability to embrace your own responsibility as citizens, to make sure that the basic tenets of our democracy endure. (END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: A year ago many were asking what it would take to stop mass shootings in the U.S. It turns out a pandemic. Not one since the outbreak began. And that was once seen as a pressing issue on gun reform fall off the radar. But on this third night of the convention it was brought back into the spotlight.

Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, a survivor of gun violence delivered her longest public speech since that day she was shot nine years ago. And survivors from mass shootings in Las Vegas, Parkland, Florida, were featured so too a woman whose 13-year-old son was left paralyzed by a stray bullet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEANDRA DYCUS, TEEN SON PARALYZED BY STRAY BULLET: In every town across America, there are families who know what a bullet can do. That's why I'm a mom who volunteers to stop this. President Trump, he doesn't care. He didn't care about the victims after Parkland, Las Vegas, or El Paso. I want a president who cares about our pain and grief, a president who will take on the gun lobby to ban assault weapons and close the loopholes to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:35:10]

VAUSE: And young climate activists like Katherine Lorenzo were given a prime time role at the convention. She talked about renewable energy and praised Biden's plan which would create jobs, she said, improve public health, especially in low income neighborhoods.

Erin Gloria Ryan is a Daily Beast contributor and she is with us from Los Angeles. Gloria, thank you for taking the time to talk with us. It's appreciated.

ERIN GLORIA RYAN, DAILY BEAST CONTRIBUTOR: Thanks so much for having me.

VAUSE: OK. Well, for the past three nights this message has been pretty clear. Joe Biden, in case you missed it is not Donald Trump because Joe Biden is a good man and Donald Trump is not a good man. Joe Biden will be in bed early. And when he is up in the middle of the night, it will not be for tweeting. So, could this be one of the few times in history when Americans don't vote in a new president, but rather vote out a sitting one?

RYAN: I think that's a great question. And I think it's something that we won't really know until we've tallied all the votes and figured out why people voted the way they did. I think tonight Hillary Clinton kind of touched on this in her speech, because in 2016, a lot of Hillary's case for herself was I'm not this guy. Get a load of this guy. And this tonight Hillary said that Americans need to move towards their candidate rather than away from the person they don't want. Elizabeth Warren spoke tonight also. She spoke about the need for

child care and the kind of fight the American parent during our terrible response to COVID. She mentioned Joe Biden's plans to deal with those problems. And, you know, moving toward a candidate with plans is a little different than moving away from a candidate who has made disastrous moves for this country.

So I do think that, yes, like the American voter is pretty fed up with Donald Trump. His approval ratings are super low. His disapproval ratings are very high and a lot of people just really want to get back to a time when they can be angry at a normal person again. But it seems like tonight there were some people pointing out that Joe Biden has a plan to move past where we are right now.

VAUSE: Yes. It was May West who said if it's a choice between two evils, choose the one you haven't done yet, which may be the advice for progressives within the Democratic Party who went for Trump last time. But yes, this is the night when Kamala Harris made history. She ticks almost every box. She appeals in some way to everyone every way, I think. But as historic as that was, you know, there was this sort of lack of balloons and music. There are no cheering supporters. You know it seemed like a bit of a buzz kill for such a momentous moment.

RYAN: You know, it's funny, because I had a totally different response to her speech. I've covered a few different political conventions, and never have I been in a room for a speech and felt as moved as I was watching Kamala Harris speak to a camera in a room full of nobody. My expectations for her were, you know, based on her performance in the past, which is that she is a person who rises to the occasion. She has never been in the spotlight and flubbed it.

So I knew that she was going to be impressive. I wasn't prepared for how impressive she was given the venue that she had to accomplish the task she needed to accomplish. What she needed to do was basically introduce herself to the American people outside of the context that we know her in, which is Kamala Harris the kind of a bulldog judiciary committee questioner.

Kamala Harris, the Attorney General of California. Kamala Harris the campaigner who is a little bit more on the attack. We met Kamala Harris the warm every woman who has a story that touches almost every American story I can imagine. And I thought she was really successful at that.

You know, it's weird to sit and talk to a camera, as you know, because you do it for a living. And I just thought that you know, she was able to really reach through and communicate with the American people in a way that really, really exceeded my expectations.

VAUSE: It's only weird for the first 25 years and then you get used to it. By night three, it seems the DNC started, you know, to get their act together in terms of making television. And that was the buildup in part to present this other side of Kamala Harris. It seemed a lot more polished. You know, the first night was like a, you know, public access telethon, television telethon with a tote bag. This night was, you know, a lot more storytelling. RYAN: I think tonight was really good. The produced segments that the

Democrats have been using to put out their message have been great, especially the ones that feature regular people. There have been a couple noteworthy daughters of Trump supporters or daughters of people who have had terrible things happen to their families as a result of Donald Trump's policies they think have been really, really powerful.

[03:40:07]

I also think the roll call from last night, you know, being at a convention in person, it's basically just watching people hand the microphone around for like an hour. And watching it, you know, last night we got to see people of different backdrops and in their different states and what they were proud of and what they want to showcase. I think tonight really gave us a chance to see storytelling by the Democrats through mediums that were a lot more engaging than a typical political convention.

VAUSE: Yes. And that was the best use of this medium compared to, you know, what we've seen in the past. Absolutely. So, Erin, thank you for that. We appreciate you coming on, and your insights.

RYAN: Yes, thank you.

VAUSE: The conventional wisdom says the vice presidential nominee can't win an election, only lose one, but will Kamala Harris be the exception which proves the rule? Motivating the voters who stayed home four years ago. More on that when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Well, it becomes official later on Thursday in the United States. Joe Biden will accept the Democratic nomination for president. A senior adviser says Biden will not make President Trump a central figure in his speech but rather seize the moment as something bigger than his opponent.

And three of Biden's former primary opponents will also speak on Thursday along with three of the women who were on his final list to be running mate. CNN's special live coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. on the U.S. East Coast. That's midnight in London, 8:00 a.m. in Hong Kong.

Mathew Littman is a Democratic strategist and he served as Joe Biden's chief speech writer, recently advised the Harris campaign. Joins us now from studio city in California. Good to see you, Matt.

MATHEW LITTMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good to see you, John.

VAUSE: OK. This is the night when Democrats introduce Kamala Harris to most Americans as a roll-out, it seemed pretty smooth. There were no gaffes. And one thing seems pretty obvious here, Harris is now the future of the Democratic Party.

[03:45:04] LITTMAN: You know, there are a lot of good future leaders in the

Democratic Party. I expect to see a bunch of them in the Biden administration. Perhaps Pete Buttigieg, for example, Eric Garcetti. But yes, Kamala is definitely in the lead role now as the vice presidential nominee, no question about it.

VAUSE: There was this message from almost every speaker on Wednesday, which was basically get out and vote. Sitting this election out is not an option. And no one knows better than that than the 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton. Here she is.

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HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: For four years, people have told me I didn't realize how dangerous he was. I wish I could do it all over, or worse, I should have voted. Look, this can't be another would have, could have, should have election.

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VAUSE: So overall, is Harris a net motivator? Will she be the difference between now and getting black voters out to the polls and four years ago when they sat on their hands?

LITTMAN: So I do think that Kamala makes a big difference because Kamala is a very enthusiastic campaigner. She is able to raise a lot of money for Joe Biden, which is really important. And so I think it's important and I think, yes, the African American vote is important.

You know, Donald Trump barely won in Wisconsin. In Wisconsin in 2016, just in the Milwaukee area, there were 40,000 less African American voters than in 2012. And if the same people had voted in 2016, then Hillary Clinton would have won Wisconsin. So if I were Hillary Clinton, I'd be pretty bitter about what happened in Wisconsin too.

We need people to get out and vote. And so we often talk about, John, the centrists and the independents voting. We really need people to get out and vote who didn't vote in 2012 even more than we need those independents and centrists to get out and vote.

VAUSE: You know, you've worked for a long time Joe Biden as a speech writer you. You worked closely with him. You've also worked with Kamala Harris, the vice presidential campaign. So, you kind of know these two individuals, you know, as leaders and as politicians. How will this relationship work if they win in November?

LITTMAN: So, I think it's great. I think the relationship between the two of them, I've been hoping for a long time that Kamala would be the V.P. nominee. And Kamala has a ton of experience. The agenda is going to be so big, John, it's so robust in terms of the number of things. You know, when Barack Obama became president, we talked about how he did health care. And because health care was such a big deal, it was impossible to do climate change at the same time.

We're going have to do 10 things like that when Joe Biden gets into office. So Kamala also just like Joe Biden knows where -- knows how to work the system. Right? She served in the Senate. She served in statewide offices. And so between the two of them, they're going to have to push every lever that they can that's in the states and that's in the Congress in order to get this enormous agenda passed.

I was just talking to somebody today who works in the Senate Judiciary Committee, and he was listening to me, listing all the possibilities for all the things that they might have to do next year and how huge that agenda is going to be just for that committee alone. There is a lot to do. Joe Biden can do a lot. He needs Kamala to help.

VAUSE: Very quickly, Biden's speech Thursday, the big finale, we expect the moment in history. Will it move the needle? Will it be, you know, an FDR (ph) new deal moment?

LITTMAN: Well, I think there are a lot of people who are voting for Joe Biden because they're against Donald Trump. And there is a lot of enthusiasm against Donald Trump. And while Joe Biden is ahead in the points -- in the polls substantially, we still need more enthusiasm for Joe Biden. And that's what he has to do tomorrow night. He has to talk about why people should vote for Joe Biden. Not just why they should vote against Donald Trump.

VAUSE: Matt, thank you. We'll get you to stick around next hour. We will talk about gun reform. Gabby Giffords gives her address to the DNC and why that has actually, you know, been quiet, but actually on the agenda maybe for the next administration. Thanks. Good to see you.

LITTMAN: Thanks, John.

VAUSE: Officials are issuing mandatory evacuations in northern California because of a series of dangerous wildfires. The LNU lightning complex fire is made up of several wildfires north of San Francisco. Napa County, Lake County and Sonoma County. The SCU lightning complex fire is burning through areas to the southeast of San Francisco. Officials say hundreds of new fires started between Sunday and Wednesday. About 10,000 lightning strikes are to blame.

Still to come, Australia's quarantine hotels are under investigation because instead of controlling the spread of the coronavirus, they're now the reason why one state, Victoria, is seeing a second wave.

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VAUSE: Colombia is joining Mexico, Peru and Brazil to report more than 500,000 more confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Wednesday saw a new daily record for Colombia with more than 13,000 new infections. Meantime, Brazil is seeing nearly 50,000 new cases every day with the death toll passing 110,000.

South Korea once praised for controlling the coronavirus outbreak has now reported triple-digit case number increases for the seventh day. The latest outbreak is thought to have started in a church in Seoul. The virus has since spread to surrounding areas, infecting more than 1,600 people. Almost all of the active cases in the Australian state of Victoria

have been traced back to two quarantine hotels, they are meant to keep the virus from spreading. But instead a number of hotel workers became infected, sparking a second wave throughout the entire state. Here is CNN's Will Ripley with details.

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WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Australia's brutal second wave began as a ripple, a ripple in the shape of one unnamed family who arrived in May, infected with coronavirus, they quarantined at the Rydges Hotel in Melbourne, one of several the government is using for international arrivals.

Weeks later, Victoria declared a state of disaster, putting 6.6 million people on lockdown. Thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths since May. Genomic sequencing has now linked 90 percent of new cases in the state back to that one family of four.

[03:55:04]

CHARLES ALPREN, EPIDEMIOLOGIST DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, VICTORIA: It is likely that the large majority I said in my statements, approximately 90 percent or more of COVID-19 infections in Victoria can be traced to the Rydges Hotel.

RIPLEY: Epidemiological evidence makes the damning conclusion, a month's long battle against the virus in Victoria may have been avoided if hotel quarantine had done its job. Victoria's Premier, Daniel Andrews says the buck stops with him. He has established a judicial inquiry into what went wrong. Returned travelers will appear at the inquiry on Thursday. They have already spoken out about what they think was the problem.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The security people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people should have been looking after us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They weren't wearing masks. They would sleep on the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Quite often they wouldn't even hear us open our door because they'd have the earphones in or be on the phone or, you know, talking with another security guard, having a laugh. It just seemed the whole idea of the hotel quarantine seemed like a joke.

RIPLEY: The inquiry has heard security guards contracted to enforce the quarantine were not properly trained. An online course security staff took indicated not everyone needed to wear a mask to prevent COVID-19. Guards were not told they should always wear correct PPE. That was all it took for three workers to get infected, spreading it through the state.

DANIEL ANDREWS, PREMIER OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA: In terms of China command and who is responsible, I think I made myself abundantly clear today about the way I think that uprights. It stops with me. I'm accountable. I understand that. I have every day that I have the honor of having this job, I have never moved away from that, not one inch. I understand that to be the case, and that's why I set up an inquiry to give me the answers that I want and that Victorians are entitled to.

RIPLEY: The inquiry will publish its findings in November. Until then, Victoria remains in the grip of the pandemic as deaths mount each day. Will Ripley, CNN.

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VAUSE: Well, I'm John Vause. Stay with us. I'll be back in just a moment after a very short break with a lot more from CNN Newsroom. Stay with us.

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