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Alabama Allows Buffets to Reopen as Cases Near 130,000; Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Gives Advice on Getting Through Coronavirus; Update on Coronavirus Responses Across the Country; FOX Host Will Moderate Debate as Network Hosts Advise Trump; Drudge's Turn Against Trump on Display; Markets Plummet after Hitting Record Highs. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired September 03, 2020 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:30:00]
J.J. NELSON, OWNER & GENERAL MANAGER, BARNYARD CAFETERIA: Well, the word buffet is just like an albatross around your neck right now. It is not safe. It's got a stigma. My business disappeared overnight so we had to do something, had to adapt somehow.
It was a pretty easy transition for us to go to cafeteria style.
We had to increase the labor costs a fair amount, hire extra people to make plates but still unlimited portions, they can go through the line as much as they want, people eat moderate portions and the food waste is way down and the food costs down is only thing that's getting me by right now.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: So the food costs are down making up for the increase cost of labor to transition but you, with this -- your restaurant is in Alabama.
You are joining us from Tennessee. But if you did, would you transition back to buffet since you can? Would you do that?
NELSON: Well, we used to have a lot more customers. I miss them. So if it were safe for them ,then maybe.
But personally I just -- I don't feel comfortable sharing utensils with other people right now. My grandma is 95 and my son is 3 and immune-compromised.
We were ranked number one in Alabama before this and full every Sunday, 500 covers just on Sunday.
We were fortunate enough to get the PPP loan. We were told at the time it was an eight-week parameter to spend it on payroll and overhead and did spend it at that rate hoping the sales would recover in that time.
But when they didn't there was no second PPP and extended the forgiveness period a little too late for most of us so the money was gone.
We had no choice but to make layoffs. We have gone from more than 40 people down to less than 30. My managers are taken pay cuts.
My mom and I have foregone the salaries entirely the last few weeks, had to supplement the business account from the personal accounts now. A couple times.
And there's only so many times we can do that so 30 of us who are left could really, really used some more assistance.
KEILAR: Yes. I mean, you must be looking towards Washington and wondering what's going on, right? You need the help. They're not here. I can sense the toll this is taken on you, J.J. Must be incredibly frustrating from running a successful business.
And here you now, adjusting but feeling like you're hung out to dry.
NELSON: A little bit. You know? President of the United States could save thousands of lives by leading by example and wearing a mask and won't keep it on most of the time.
The CDC told us not to wear masks at the beginning of this. And now that numbers are actually recovering a little bit in Alabama it was my understanding they were bet we are the mandatory mask order and feels like we're taking a step back because here it's controversial.
And 70 percent of people still refuse to wear the mask despite the order. And she is, the governor, trying to play both sides, make people feel safer and then restoring rights.
And I wish that the politicians would just lead and be honest with us about the shared sacrifice that we all need to be making right now.
KEILAR: On this buffet order, people don't want to wear masks, not going to wear them, even if there's a mandate.
And as they reopen buffets maybe if business owners decide they're going to go to a buffet style, you are someone that isn't.
But if you have these regulations in place like there's an employee who is in charge of enforcing social distancing and encouraging people to use hand sanitizer.
Do you have any concerns about whether that would be effective?
NELSON: Absolutely. Encourage is all you can do without alienating the customers. Most of them won't wear masks.
But -- oh. I just -- like you say, doesn't make sense from a business perspective. With my labor costs up here, if I go back to a buffet style, my food cost jumps back up. And margin is so slim it is business suicide right now.
Just feels like politics by putting politics over people's lives.
KEILAR: J.J., I thank you so much for coming on.
NELSON: Been a pleasure. KEILAR: There are many business owners just like you. That is the
especially alarming part, you are not unique in the situation but a lot of people trying to navigate this.
And thank you so much for sharing your story with us.
NELSON: My pleasure. Thank you so much again.
[13:35:08]
KEILAR: Next, "The Rock" will reveal how he and his family were infected by coronavirus and his advice for getting through the infection.
Plus, should you wear masks during sex? Canada's top doctor says, yes? She'll explain.
And the president suggests voters in North Carolina vote twice, which is illegal. Please don't do that. How he's trying to walk that back today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:40:25]
KEILAR: Hollywood superstar, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, saying he and his family, including two young daughters, 4 and 2, have fully recovered after getting COVID-19 during a visit with close family friends.
He's now calling on everyone to wear a mask and recommends family and friends tested before any visits take place. Let's watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DWAYNE "THE ROCK" JOHNSON, HOLLYWOOD SUPERSTAR: This has been within of the most challenging and difficult things we have ever had to endure as a family and for me personally, too, as well.
I have gone through some doozies in the past and had my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) kicked. But testing positive for COVID-19 is much different than overcoming nasty injuries or being evicted or even being broke, which I have been more than a few times.
And the reason why I feel like this is different is because my number- one priority is to always protect my family. And protect my children, my loved ones.
By the way, I know I speak for all of you, it is our number-one priority, all of you guys around the world and want to protect your family and babies.
So -- I wish it was only me who tested positive but it wasn't. I was my entire family. So it was a real kick in the gut.
For our babies, Jazzy and TIA, they have a little sore throat and then bounced back. And they -- it's been life as normal. Happy babies running around and playing.
But we have isolated ourselves as a family, it's what we had to do. But Lauren and I, it was a little bit different. We got through it but a rough go and picked up COVID-19 from very close family friends. And these are people who we love and trust, people who we still love and trust.
And devastated that they were the ones that picked it up and no idea where they picked it up. They're devastated it led to them infecting our family with it.
Luckily, we were able to control and mitigate it and didn't spread out of control.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: And a staggering new detail on how the coronavirus pandemic is walloping the nation's economy. The U.S. debt is projected to overtake the entire deficit next year, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Some perspective, it would be the first time the federal debt outsized the nation's economy since 1946 just after World War II.
Now here are other coronavirus headlines that CNN correspondents are following.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rosa Flores, in Miami. The Miami- Dade schools police department has made an arrest after the school district was cyberattacked three days in a row.
According to the police, a 16-year-old has been arrested on two counts including one count of computer use in an attempt to defraud, which is a third-degree felony.
The police say the teenager admitted to eight other attacks and said there are other attackers out there and preliminary information shows that the sources of these attacks are both foreign and domestic.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kaitlan Collins, at the White House. And we're watching today the second departure at the FDA communications team within less than a week.
Another political appointee moving over to the Health and Human Services office but a week after another appointee left the job because Stephen Hahn was removed after some fallout over that convalescent plasma announcement.
As the FDA communications team is without two top communications aides at a time when the agency is in the public eye now more than ever as there are these concerns over vaccine development and where that is going to go from here.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: I'm Andy Scholes in Georgia. University of Nebraska at Omaha said four sports team are under quarantine after 13 athletes have tested positive for coronavirus.
The positive tests came from the men's basketball and baseball teams and the women's softball and volleyball squads.
The school plays in the summit conference and, right now, the school says that all of those athletes are asymptomatic and going to be under quarantine for 14 days.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[13:45:02]
KEILAR: Thank you so much to the colleagues.
Next, President Trump lashing out at the conservative "Drudge Report" after unflattering headlines about him.
Plus, from sex to kissing, Canada's top doctors have new guidance on how to date in the pandemic.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: The presidential debates are set and FOX News's Chris Wallace will monitor the first between President Trump and Joe Biden.
The debate commission giving the September 29th face-off to FOX despite propaganda, dishonesty, and the fact that some FOX hosts advise President Trump. C-Span's Steve Scully and NBC's Kristen Welker will moderate debates two and three.
[13:50:06]
CNN senior media reporter, Oliver Darcy, is joining me.
Oliver, you have a lot of FOX News hosts accused of and, on the other hand, you have Chris Wallace, who has certainly challenged the president on a number of issues. I know those are interviews I have appreciated as he's done them.
What do you make of the selection?
OLIVER DARCY, CNN SENIOR MEDIA REPORTER: Chris Wallace is a talented journalist and has asked the president trough questions. He's done a really good job in the past moderating debates.
But this is a lot bigger than Chris Wallace. You have to keep in mind they have trafficked in lies. They've made discrediting other news organizations and journalists a core tenant of their programs. You have hosts on the network, who are literally advising the president.
So, when Chris Wallace is awarded the first debate by the commission on presidential debates, a nonpartisan group that selects the groups and operates them.
It's a slap in the face to the 92 other news organizations and other journalists who have endured venomous attacks because of their insistence on telling the truth no matter how costly it is.
Chris Wallace is a great journalist. But when he gets awarded this spot and when FOX News is effectively bolstered by this commission on presidential debates by giving them the first debates, it really -- it doesn't sit well.
I think with a lot of people wondering why they're being rewarded when they've caved and pedaled the president's lies on so many occasions.
KEILAR: We've seen another influential conservative figure, Matt Drudge, turn against President Trump, even though he supported Trump in 2016.
Let's look at some of the headlines from the "Drudge Report." And President Trump took particular exception about one involving his particular visit to Walter Reed last fall. He called it fake news.
What does it say when someone like Mike Drudge coming out like this?
DARCY: This is a total opposite of what his Web site, Brianna, was doing when he was questioning the Hillary Clinton and needling her. Now, he's needling Trump.
Drudge was one of Trump's top supporters in 2016. He navigated him through the he navigated him through the primaries, to the extent Ted Cruz was saying it's a mouthpiece for the Trump campaign.
So, to see Drudge now turning on the president is remarkable. Whether it has any effect, I'm not sure. I think it might have a few years ago when they were able to turn news sites towards their preferred narrative.
But he's been critical of the president now for over a year. And you haven't really seen other conservative talk show hosts, Web sites really follow the narrative that he's been setting on his own Web site.
KEILAR: All right. Oliver, thank you so much for bringing this report to us. We appreciate it.
Breaking news. The Dow falling more than 800 points after hitting record highs. Is this a warning sign of what's to come?
[13:53:38]
Plus, a warning from Dr. Anthony Fauci about the coming holiday weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:58:23]
KEILAR: We have breaking news. Markets plummeting after a record high just yesterday. You can see on the big board, just down a little over 780 points. The NASDAQ and S&P also down.
I want to go live to CNN's Alison Kosik.
Tell us why we're seeing this.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Brianna. Investors certainly making a mad dash for the commits after several weeks of record highs. And that may be all that there is to why we're seeing this kind of sell off is we're seeing investors take profits off the table after this record run.
Yesterday, as you mentioned, the S&P 500, NASDAQ reached record highs and crossing 12,000 for the first time ever.
This major U-turn happening just as we got those better than expected unemployment numbers. First-time unemployment claims fell below the one million mark.
And this could be the precursor to the August jobs report, which we will be getting tomorrow. There could be nervousness about what we could see with the jobs report.
Even if we see one million jobs added in August, it's a drop in the bucket. We learned 29 million Americans are receiving some sort of unemployment assistance at this moment.
There's uncertainty about how Americans are faring in this economy and uncertainty over what Congress is doing.
We're waiting for a relief package. And everyone knows, as Americans are struggling, that is going to affect the economy directly.
KEILAR: Alison, thank you so much for that.
[14:00:04]
Top of the hour now. I'm Brianna Keilar. And I want to think you for joining me.
For the second day in a row, the U.S. is reporting more than 1,000 people dying from coronavirus in a single day.
