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Kamala Harris Makes History as Vice Presidential Nominee; Obama Delivers Scathing Rebuke of Trump; Democrats Contrast Biden's Character with Trumps; Kremlin Critic in Hospital After Suspected Poisoning; Some U.S. Universities Scrambling to Contain Outbreak; Fauci: Health Measures Needed Without Effective Vaccine. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired August 20, 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]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA) DEMOCRATIC VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: And with that, history was made as Kamala Harris officially becomes the first woman of color to be a vice presidential candidate in the United States.

Hello and welcome to our viewers joining from here in the United States and around the world. I'm John Vause.

An historic moment and a stirring message on day three of the Democratic National Convention. Kamala Harris was officially nominated as the vice presidential candidate. She recognized that was showcased by strong woman. And one of the most influential members of the Democratic Party, Barack Obama, the former president praised Harris but in an unprecedented mood he leveled his strongest, most scathing criticism yet of President Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I never expected that my successor would embrace my vision or continue my policies. I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously. That he might come to feel the weight of the office and discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care.

For close to four years now he has shown no interest in putting in the work. No interest in finding common ground, no interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself and his friends. No interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show he can use to get the attention he craves. Donald Trump hasn't grown into the job because he can't. And the consequences of that failure are severe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And echoing those words of President Obama, the presidential nominee, Joe Biden tweeted this.

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

That coming in reaction to a flurry of tweets and false claims about Obama from Donald Trump. But the night will be remembered for the moving address by Kamala Harris who made her case to help lead a wounded nation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: 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. Donald Trump's failure of leadership has cost lives and livelihoods. Right now we have a president who turns our tragedies into political weapons. Joe will be a president who turns our challenges into purpose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Alicia Garza is with us again. She's cofounder of the Black Lives Matter movement and principal of the Black to the Future Action Fund. So Senator Harris, she's the choice of the party establishment if you like. But she's not really the first choice of the progressive wing of the party. There's younger, more liberal Democrats who weren't exactly thrilled about Joe Biden getting the nomination. How does she when over those progressives? She says she's got 70 something days to convince them to turn out to vote.

ALICIA GARZA, PRINCIPAL, BLACK TO THE FUTURE ACTION FUND: I think the most critical thing that Senator Harris needs to do in the next 75 days is to talk about her record as a district attorney. There are so many -- all kinds of things that are floating around about her record. Some of which are true and some of which frankly are false.

One of the things that becomes very apparent in this moment where democracy is literally disintegrating before our eyes, is how little Americans understand about how our government functions and works. That has actually been to the best, right, of people who want to take this country back into its past. And so, in order for us to move into our future, there's a few things that need to happen.

Number one, we have to get really clear about what government does and what it doesn't do. There are a lot of false things that are floating around about Senator Harris and there are a lot of things that Senator Harris needs to actually acknowledge and address. And frankly, during her previous presidential campaign she did not do that. I think it was to her detriment.

[04:05:00] It was necessary for a movement moment where we've been through at that point in time seven years of Black Lives Matter. It was necessary for her to talk about the fact that she was a district attorney not in the time of Black Lives Matter but in the era prior to it. And it was important for her to actually say, this is what I would do differently. I think she's going to try and address some of those questions in the next few days.

VAUSE: If I can interrupt you because that sort of -- this is the conundrum, if you like, for Harris. Her law and order credentials appeal to maybe those independents or those new Republicans or those white suburban voters who are wavering not too sure and they like what they see or hear whether it be true or false. But then there's, you know, again the black voters who obviously had an issue not just with Harris but also with Biden for his part in the crime bill back in the 1990s.

GARZA: Certainly, and I think what's important for us to understand here is that Joe Biden's record is actually very clear on criminal reform. And he has been on the wrong side. When it comes to Senator Harris, there has been a whole slew of disinformation that frankly is targeting black voters and targeting her around her record. And some of those things are true but a lot of the things I see out there are false. I'm the first person to say when things are wrong but we have to deal in facts. And the whole problem that we are dealing with in this country right now is that our leadership does not deal in facts. So our movement must do that instead.

VAUSE: In her acceptance speech Harris focused in a big way on why Joe Biden is the right leader for this moment. And here's part of what she says. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Joe will be a President who turns our challenges into purpose. Joe will bring us together to build an economy that doesn't leave anyone behind. Where a good paying job is the floor, not the ceiling. Joe will bring us together to end this pandemic and make sure that we are prepared for the next one. Joe will bring us together to squarely face and dismantle racial injustice furthering the work of generations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: From this point on would you expect her to be the attack dog, go after Donald Trump like she's gone after members of his administration during Senate hearings?

GARZA: She's going to have to. And frankly, the campaign of former Vice President Joe Biden really depends on Senator Harris to lift it and to advance it. So again, this is the right choice at the right time and I do hope that Senator Harris uses her skills that she used in a number of Senate hearings to expose the corruption and the chaos of this current government. I hope she uses that in this upcoming campaign.

VAUSE: Alicia Garza, thank you so much. It was good to speak with you. Appreciate you taking the time.

GARZA: Thanks for having me.

VAUSE: The Democrats' 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton made a bittersweet return to the convention with a sobering warning. She reminded viewers she lost to Donald Trump even though she had almost 3 million more votes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, 2016 U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: 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 woulda, coulda, shoulda election. If you vote by mail, requester ballot now and send it back right away. If you vote in person, do it early. Become a poll worker. Most of all, no matter what, vote. And don't forget, Joe and Kamala can win by 3 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: Erin Gloria Ryan is a "Daily Beast" contributor and she is with us from Los Angeles. Gloria, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. It's appreciated.

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

VAUSE: OK, 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 go to bed early and when he gets up in the middle of the night it won't be for tweeting. So, could this be one of those few times in history where 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 figure 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.

[04:10:04]

And this --tonight Hillary said that Americans need to move towards their candidate rather than away from the person that they don't want. Elizabeth Warren spoke tonight also. She spoke about the need for childcare and the kind of plight of 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 a little different than 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 Mae 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 and vote for Trump last time.

But yes, this was the night when Kamala Harris made history. She ticks almost every box. She appeals in some way to everyone, everywhere, I think. But as historic as that was, you know, there was 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's a person who rises to the occasion. She's 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. And what she needed to do was basically introduce herself to the American people outside of the context that we know her, and which is Kamala Harris, the kind of bulldog judiciary committee questionnaire, Kamala Harris, the Attorney General of California., Kamala Harris, the campaigner who's 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.

RYAN: Great.

VAUSE: Just overall though, by night three it seems the DNC, you know, started to get their act together in terms of making television. And that was the buildup in part to presenting this other side of Kamala Harris. It seemed a lot more polished. You know, on the first night it was like, you know, public access television telethon with a tote bag. This night was, you know, a lot more storytelling.

RYAN: I think tonight was really good. The produce 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. And I think that have been really, really powerful.

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 with different backdrops, in their states, and what they were proud of, and what they wanted to showcase. I think tonight really gave us a chance to see story telling 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 media compared to what we've seen in the past, absolutely. So Erin, thank you for that. We appreciate your coming on and your insights.

RYAN: Thank you.

VAUSE: There's breaking news now. One of the most outspoken critics -- or the most outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin has been rushed to a Siberian hospital. The victim of a suspected poisoning. Alexey Navalny was on a flight to Moscow when he became seriously ill. Forcing the plane to make an emergency landing. His spokeswoman says Navalny is now in a coma, connected to a ventilator. His attorney says there's no doubt Navalny was poisoned and is demanding an investigation.

CNN's Matthew Chance joins us again live from Moscow.

[04:15:00]

Matthew, Navalny, as you said, is in fact, you know, the most outspoken critic. He is known as the man who labeled Putin's political party, the party of crooks and thieves. He's campaigned against corruption. So given the fate of other Putin critics it doesn't seem too early to start asking, is the Kremlin involved?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's not too early to start asking that. Indeed, those questions have already been posed. Certainly, supporters of Alexey Navalny, opponents of the Kremlin have already started pointing the finger of blame, saying that he has been poisoned. The lawyers for Navalny say that they've requested a police investigation into that be open.

At this point though the doctors in that Omsk -- which is a city in Siberia -- that Omsk hospital where he's been admitted and he's unconscious into the toxic reanimation ward -- according to the state media -- are not prepared to say that it was definitely poisoning that's the cause of this. They say they're still undergoing tests. And obviously, they are acutely aware of the political nature of the fact that they've got Russia's most prominent opposition figure lying unconscious in one of their intensive care beds.

But you're right, in the past, of course, Russian opposition figures have been subjected to violence. They've been silenced by poisoning and by other sort of attacks as well. And so, the fact that Alexey Navalny is currently in this incredibly distressful position and this horrific video, by the way, has been posted by fellow passengers on board the plane that was forced the maker a landing in Omsk on route back to Moscow because he was ill. We can hear Alexey Navalny actually screaming with agony. He's obviously in a great deal of distress. But the fact that he is in that position right now, you know, does open all of those questions, is this the latest in a series of attacks that have been carried out in Russia against its most vocal critics -- Jon.

VAUSE: Matthew Chance in Moscow with the latest. We appreciate that. Thanks, Matthew.

Well, new U.S. coronavirus cases appear to be on the decline. A senior U.S. health official say wearing masks and social distancing appear to be working. But he also has a warning for Americans. Details still to come.

[04:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. appears to be falling. The Department of Health and Human Services, which recently took control of data collection, reports new cases are down 22 percent since the peak in July. The mortality rate though has not changed with the death toll surpassing 173,000 in the U.S. One health official says facemasks, social distancing, washing hands and expanded testing are all seeing results. But he's warning of a danger of complacency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. BRETT GIROIR, ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH, HHS: We need to be absolutely diligent about adherence to public health recommendations or else we could have flares and outbreaks. This thing could turn around really quickly if we're not careful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And the universities across the U.S. which have reopened for in person classes appear to be struggling to contain new outbreaks. CNN's Erica Hill has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERICA HILL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): College move-in day 2020 style. Masks, staggered arrivals, mandatory testing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just thought I'd take all the classes I can.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is a weird time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not all going to be on campus.

HILL: The University of Alabama sticking with plans for in-person learning. And fans of football games, tailgating is out but 20 percent of Bryant Denny Stadium could be filled when the Crimson Tide takes the field.

Several other colleges shifted to online learning as students and staff test positive.

DR. ROBERT ROBBINS, PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA: I'm very concerned about our campus. I'm glad that the numbers have gone down in Arizona. But, still, if our students, faculty, and staff don't follow the rules, we're going to suffer the same fate as the other universities.

HILL: Cases at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville linked to an off-campus party through contact tracing.

DONDE PLOWMAN, CHANCELLOR, UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE KNOXVILLE: if we want to be here on campus, is going to be a different kind of

experienced. We can do this but students have to step up and do their part.

HILL: Nearly a quarter of New York City's more than 1.1 million students have already opted out of in person learning. The teachers' union calling for anyone entering the school building to bring proof of antibodies or a negative COVID-19 test.

MICHAEL MULGREW, PRESIDENT, UNITED FEDERATION OF TEACHERS: This city went through hell and came back and we are not going back to hell because of shortsighted political agendas.

HILL: Georgia still a major concern. The state now has the highest number of cases per capita in the country. And while the number of new cases in the U.S. is declining, deaths have plateaued at an average of more than a thousand a day for the last 23 days.

DR. ANNE RIMON, DIRECTOR, UCLA CENTER FOR GLOBAL AND IMMIGRANT HEALTH: We still don't have a magic bullet to be able to prevent death or serious disease. And we're still not doing the job that we need to do to be able to contain spread in most places in the United States.

HILL: FDA emergency use authorization for a treatment using blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients is now on hold. According to "The New York Times," after top health officials said more data is needed.

DR. LEANA WEN, FORMER BALTIMORE CITY HEALTH COMMISSIONER: Everybody is desperate and we want a hopeful treatment. But at the same time we cannot take shortcuts in the research. Because that's actually going to hamper our efforts overall.

HILL: As a push for a vaccine continues, new CNN polling finds just 56 percent of Americans say they'd get the vaccine. That's down ten points since May.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Vaccine disinformation can lead clearly to vaccine hesitancy.

HILL: While most agree those on the front lines should have first priority, Pope Francis also expressing his hope that it will ultimately be made available to all.

POPE FRANCIS, CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): It would be sad if the rich are given priority for the COVID-19 vaccine. It would be sad if this vaccine became the property of this or that nation if it's not universal and for everyone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

[04:25:00]

DR. JORGE RODRIGUEZ, INTERNAL MEDICINE AND VIRAL SPECIALISTS: Thank you, John. Good to see you.

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAUCI: So if we don't get a vaccine that is highly, highly, highly effective, even though it was still be a good vaccine, I think we have to have some degree of attention to public health measures. It's going to take a while to build up a cumulative amount of immunity even 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 will be just another tool in bringing the pandemic under control. But I think is 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 called the flu vaccine is not always effective. A vaccine may be 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't get it, therefore we can't 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 for 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 of 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 state of Mississippi, almost 2,000 school kids are quarantined because of possible exposure to COVID-19. There's concerns about outbreaks at two state universities. So against that old Dr. Donald or the President, was dispensing medical advice from the White House. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For older people and individuals 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: Theme, a clue. I mean, can you fact check that for us? But is the bigger picture here, there are also these growing concerns 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's ludicrous. It's very dangerous because it gives people a false sense of security which makes them reckless. Which makes us all susceptible.

VAUSE: Very quickly, we're in the middle of a pandemic, we're coming into a hurricane season. Experts over at Duke University say communities should thinking about ways of incorporating COVID-specific level care and planning. Thinking about things like personal protective equipment and 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 looked and fought hurricanes having grown up in Miami, you're not going to have electricity. You're not going to 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: And that's exactly what is not needed at this point in time. Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, thank you so much. Good to see you.

RODRIGUEZ: You, too, John.

VAUSE: and still to come on CNN NEWSROOM, Democrats put gun reform back on the agenda with one of the most emotional and moving moments of the night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GABBY GIFFORDS, FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN, GUN VIOLENCE VICTIM: Words once came easily. Today I struggled to speak. But I have not lost my voice. America needs all of us to speak out even when you have to fight to find the words.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

END