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Michael Cohen Portrays Trump As Racist And Corrupt In Tell-All Book; Experts Fear Labor Day Weekend Gatherings Could End In A Case Spike; Election Officials Brace For The Surge In Mail-In Voting; Local TV's Political Disinformation Problem; Childhood Cancer Patients Face Increased COVID-19 Risks; Joe Biden's Long Journey In Fighting For The White House. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired September 06, 2020 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:09]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: They are all complete effing toilets.

And there's another tell-all coming out this week, according to The Washington Post. Former FBI Agent Peter Strzok alleges in his book, compromised, that investigators had to consider whether Russia was secretly controlling Trump after he took office, writing, given what we knew or had cause to suspect about Trump's compromising behavior in the weeks, months and years leading up to the election, it also seemed conceivable if unlikely that Moscow had indeed pulled off the most stunning intelligence achievement in human history, secretly controlling the president of the United States, a Manchurian candidate elected.

The president's character is also under fire for alleged remarks about America's war dead. A former senior administration official tells CNN Trump referred to fallen U.S. service members in crude and derogatory terms largely confirming a report from The Atlantic magazine which cited sources who said Trump referred to U.S. war dead as losers and suckers.

Straight to the White House now with CNN's Jeremy Diamond. Jeremy, this has been described to me as an avalanche of tell-all books that put the president in less than flattering light. How are officials inside the White House reacting?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No doubt, Ana. It does seem to be an avalanche of books. And with two months left until the election, this is the time when voters are tuning in to try and make their decision about the presidential election.

And they have a series of books, at least three of them now that we know of, including the Michael Cohen book where we hear Michael Cohen describe the president as a cheat, a liar, a fraud, a bully, a racist, a predator, a con man, and that is just one sentence of that book. He also goes into detail, of course, describing behind-the-scenes moments with the president like the ones that you just described.

We also then have the book by Peter Strzok, the former FBI agent who describes the inner workings of this investigation into the president and his campaign and these questions of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Strzok, after being intimately involved with those investigations, concludes that he believes President Trump is a national security threat.

And then, of course, there is the book by Bob Woodward, the veteran journalist who broke the Watergate scandal, who, according to multiple sources in this book, describes in explosive detail national security incidents involving the president, the president's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and we also know that the president was interviewed several times by Woodward for that book.

Despite, that though, President Trump has already offered a prebuttal of sorts to the Woodward book even though we don't note details of what is in it, saying that it will be a fake. That book expected later this month. And then, of course, the White House is weighing in on the Michael Cohen book.

And we do have a statement from the White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany. This is what she says about Michael Cohen. She says, Michael Cohen is a disgraced felon and disbarred lawyer who lied to Congress. He has lost all credibility and it's unsurprising to see his latest attempt to profit off of lies.

The president, for his part, has yet to actually weigh in on his former fixer's book and the allegations that he is making. And, of course, we should note that Michael Cohen has his own issues with credibility. You know, he has pleaded guilty to nine federal charges, one of which includes a charge of lying to Congress.

And even as President Trump's fixer during the 2016 campaign, we know that he repeatedly bullied and lied to reporters in defense, of course, of his candidate, now the president of the United States. Ana?

CABRERA: Jeremy Diamond at the White House, thank you.

These tell-all books are coming fast and furious, but will they actually have an impact? Margaret Hoover is the CNN Political Commentator and host of Firing Line on PBS. She's worked in President George W. Bush's administration and on two GOP presidential campaigns. She's alongside John Avlon, a CNN senior Political Analyst and the author of Washington's Farewell and Wingnuts.

So, guys, I want to start with this new book from Michael Cohen. Do you think voters will take this book seriously given Cohen's past, and do you think it matters when they cast their ballot?

MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I'll go first. Look --

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, as always.

HOOVER: Ana, I think what we see across the board as Trump's -- this is not a book or a personality that Trump supporters are going to take seriously. They're going to follow what Trump says and what you heard the White House press secretary say, that he is disgraced, the he lied and he shouldn't be listened to. And they will consider him disloyal and pass him off (ph). I think it gives the rest of America -- I think people are already in their corners. I don't see Michael Cohen's book as one that is definitively going to move anybody from their corners. Not to say that it doesn't have valuable information in it that we should listen to.

[18:05:00]

But this one strikes me as one where people are already in their corners.

I think it's clear there are some things that have come out over the weekend in the context of the military deaths that clearly the White House is more worried about, and that's why the president is engaged at a higher level. Michael Cohen, I'm less certain.

CABRERA: And, John, before you respond I want to give a chance to take another breath or swallow because I know that you probably have that tickle in your throat that I sometimes get and I want to know our viewers to know who are probably watching and thinking oh, my gosh, the coronavirus and he's coughing all over the place, that, yes, Margaret and John are married so they've been exposed to each other's germs for a while now.

AVLON: Yes.

CABRERA: You feel better, John? Are you ready to talk again?

AVLON: I'm all good. It was a little bit of errant hairspray right before we went on air.

HOOVER: He's blaming me.

CABRERA: But your thoughts about the impact of this book from Michael Cohen.

AVLON: Look, I mean, the White House is going to say what the White House is going to say. But the reality is those of us who have covered Trump from the beginning know that Michael Cohen was Donald Trump's most devoted loyalist (ph). He insulted some of my reporters at The Daily Beast in personal terms and we published the threat.

The fact the fever broke for Cohen is what's significant. There's every reason to think that he is telling the truth because he was in the room with Donald Trump on his rise. And if the information is ugly, it's because what he saw was ugly. And you can't defend Roger Stone on one hand and condemn Michael Cohen on the other.

And there are some details in here like allegedly saying that the president defended apartheid-era South Africa and insulted Nelson Mandela. Their evangelicals came to lay hands on him and he mocked them after the fact. That could have a real impact.

But for a lot of folks who are in the belief system aspect of this election, for a lot of people, it may just be a quarter, maybe a third of Donald Trump's supporters are impervious to facts, but this is a first-person account. And to ignore it is to say you that don't believe facts matter anymore.

CABRERA: Let me bounce back to you, Margaret, because Michael Cohen isn't the only one with a book getting attention this weekend. As we mentioned, fired FBI Agent Peter Strzok is also releasing a book. And according to excerpts, he calls President Trump a national security threat. He even claims that the agency he worked for did wonder whether he was a Manchurian candidate. What's your reaction to that?

HOOVER: Look, in terms of how this will impact voters, I think this falls along the same lines. Trump voters and people who are against Trump are already in their corners. There is -- look, John Bolton's book said the same thing, that this man say national security threat, a threat to the continuation of our constitutional democracy. John Bolton, who was the national security adviser to Donald Trump, said that.

So, in some ways, Ana, there is a lot that's not new here if you've been following closely.

AVLON: But even taken out of the memoir context, in the last several days, we've seen the president of the United States refuse to condemn Russia for the poisoning of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny. Why? We've seen the telegraph report that when Theresa May asked him to take a hard stand against Russia for the Skripal poisoning but he said, no, I'd rather follow, not lead on this issue. Why? We've seen the Senate intel report show unprecedented amounts connections between particularly Paul Manafort and the Russians.

So if the president wants to clear this up, he really should start taking a strong stand against Vladimir Putin instead of Vladimir Putin being the only person on earth he seems afraid of insulting and offending because it recalls the rational question why when it's clearly not in America's interest.

CABRERA: President Trump has previously seized on Strzok's extramarital affair, mocking him in a way some would find inappropriate. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Remember he and his lover, Lisa Page, what a group. She's going to win. 10 million to one, she's going to win, I'm telling you, Peter. I'm telling you, Peter, she's going to win. Peter, oh, I love you so much.

I love you, Peter. I love you too, Lisa. Lisa. Lisa. Oh, God, I love you, Lisa. And if she doesn't win, Lisa, we've got an insurance policy, Lisa.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: The president at this point, as far as we know, has held back in tweeting anything about this book or Cohen's book. Do you think the president will even respond to the book or is it too far in to the bookshelf of all the other books that have gone after him? HOOVER: This one is sort of throwing red meat to the base. I wouldn't be surprised if Donald Trump gave Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, unfortunately for them, a little bit of not love, the opposite of love just because he kind of can't help himself, right? I mean, you saw how he was enjoying that shtick there on the stage. So it wouldn't surprise me if he did.

And, by the way, it goes to his point.

[18:10:01]

I mean, that entire episode was not an episode that reflected well on elements of the impartiality of the FBI. And so that plays to his favor and it reinforces --

AVLON: Sure.

HOOVER: -- elements of his narrative where he --

AVLON: It won't be the Peter Strzok book, right? He can do his insult comic radio routine all day long. But when Michael Cohen, who could not be more close to Donald Trump, the story in The Atlantic by Jeffrey Goldberg, which has been confirmed by other outlets, including Fox News, which had an amazing, contorted attempt to rationalize it in their context, going directly after the book (ph), when his niece, when his sister is caught on tape, when his wife's best friend's book is coming out as well.

You see a very consistent portrait of someone who seems to have contempt for key aspects of his constituency and more importantly core American values too often.

CABRERA: The first ballots are out, guys, I know, on Friday. Hundreds of thousands in North Carolina were sent out. The president has been on a tear lately about mail-in voting going so far as to encourage his supporters to vote twice. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You get the unsolicited ballots. Send it in. And then go in, make sure it's counted. And if it doesn't tabulate you vote. You just vote. And then if they tabulate it very late, which they shouldn't be doing, they'll see you voted so it won't count.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: John, you've been doing some reality checks about mail-in voting lately. Let me ask you first. These comments prompted several state attorneys general to come out and say you cannot vote twice. It's illegal. But how confused do you think voters are at this point?

AVLON: Look, we know that when Donald Trump says things to his base that seem self-evidently absurd, they sometimes do them, particularly some of his ad hoc COVID cures. We know that this is basic.

And yet when Bill Barr, the attorney general, was on with our colleague, Wolf Blitzer, he sort of said, well, I don't know, I don't know the state law. You can't vote twice. He's trying to inject more chaos and confusion. He's been attacking mail-in ballots. Now he's been encouraging people to vote twice.

And I will note just magically that DHS came out with a report the other day saying that Russia is now trying to spread mail-in voting disinformation. It is causing chaos. And now, he is actually asking his supporters to not only stress test the system but commit a felony.

CABRERA: Before you respond, Margaret, let me play the Bill Barr comments about mail-in voting that he mentioned.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM BARR, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: We're very a closely divided country here. And if people have to have confidence in the results of the election and the legitimacy of the government and people trying to change the rules to this methodology, which as a matter of logic, is very open to fraud and coercion, is reckless and dangerous, and people are playing with fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Margaret, is he helping the president plant the seeds for a contested election?

HOOVER: Yes. And he says people are playing with fire. But he didn't get to the root of the issue. I mean, the person who's playing with fire who has the largest bully pulpit and frankly will do -- spread more disinformation more effectively, I think, than even Russian operatives operating from a warehouse in St. Petersburg, is the president of the United States when he says things like that.

It is illegal to vote twice, just to be clear. And to say that, I mean, we used to joke as Republicans, we used to joke, oh, it's the Democrats who say vote early and often. I mean, add that to the list of moral authority, we've lost when it comes to --

AVLON: And how Donald Trump keeps -- I did a column the other day for CNN. I mean, Donald Trump keeps becoming the right's worst negative stereotype of the left. I mean, now he's insulting -- he's saying vote early and often. He's insulting our troops. I mean, over and over again. He's a snowflake. He wants to cancel people who criticize him. It's just the latest example of it.

But this really goes to the heart of the integrity of our election, and that could not be more serious. This is serious stuff.

CABRERA: John Avlon, Margaret Hoover, as always, good to have you. And I'm glad you found your voice again, John, by the end of this segment.

AVLON: It's always in here somewhere.

CABRERA: I really appreciate you guys. Have a great weekend.

Up next, as health experts work to quickly make and approve a coronavirus vaccine, a new poll finds just one in five Americans would actually get the vaccine as soon as possible if it was available this year with no cost. So if that's the case, how effective would a vaccine be at ending the pandemic? We'll discuss next.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

CABRERA: Will this holiday weekend become another super-spreader event? Health experts fear it could after what we saw following Memorial Day and the 4th of July.

Right now, coronavirus cases are trending upward in 17 states in the U.S., deaths nearing 189,000 in the country.

Joining us now, Dr. Ashish Jha, he is the Dean at Brown University School of Public Health. Doctor, always good to have you here.

Are you concerned that the U.S. will see another big spike in cases after this weekend?

DR. ASHISH JHA, DEAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Yes. So, thank you for having me on. I am concerned. I think we saw, as you said, after Memorial Day a really big surge, after July 4th a moderate-size surge. And we go into Labor Day with 40,000 new cases a day, much higher than we were at Memorial Day.

And so I'm worried that any new surges will be potentially quite catastrophic. We have to be very careful this weekend.

CABRERA: Let's talk about the race for a vaccine because we have this new CBS/YouGov poll out today showing just 21 percent nationwide say they would get a vaccine as soon as possible if one was available this year without cost. Now, that's down from 32 percent who said the same thing in July. That number obviously low as well. But how do you make sure the public has confidence in a vaccine?

[18:20:00]

JHA: Yes. So there's only one way to make sure people have confidence in the vaccine, and that's to let the science drive the timeline for when the vaccine is ready. If the evidence is in and if we have a safe and effective vaccine based on the data, then I think the majority of Americans will end up being confident about taking the vaccine. If politicians drive the timeline, then, obviously, it's going to be much, much worse.

CABRERA: The Wall Street Journal reported three of the vaccine producers are joining together in a pledge not to seek approval for their vaccines until they have been proven safe and effective. One, what do you make of that? And, two, do you think that would help bring back some trust among the medical community and Americans?

JHA: Yes. So, first of all, it is a remarkable pledge. I love it. It's great. It's remarkable in that the pharmaceutical companies have to actually make the pledge. And I think that's because there is a lot of concerns about the politicization of the FDA and that instead of letting the great scientists at the FDA make the decision that we might have the political leaders make the decision.

So I think it's good that the vaccine companies are doing this. I wish they didn't have to.

CABRERA: A new IHME model predicts another 200,000 deaths by January. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this because right now we're at almost 189,000, which is obviously a staggering number but we're averaging about 1,000 deaths per day right now, again, such a high number. But to get another 200,000 plus, that means we're going to be seeing 2,000, even 3,000 deaths per day. Do you really think that could happen?

JHA: So, first of all, I hope not. I mean, I think that's really on the high end of the estimates out there. I think we will do better than that. But even at 190,000 deaths where we are right now is so awful. I mean, it's so much worse than any other country in the world.

But if we do a good job on mask wearing and avoiding indoor gatherings and if we can fix our testing infrastructure and make it better, we can certainly come in well under that 400,000 number. It's really up to us what number we come in at.

CABRERA: Dr. Ashish Jha, thank you so much for being with us.

JHA: Thank you for having me on.

CABRERA: Up next, with the massive increase in Americans voting by mail this year, could it be days, even weeks until we know who actually wins? Are we looking at a repeat of the infamous 2000 election? Cross-Exam with Elie Honig is next.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:00]

CABRERA: Could Election Day turn into election week? Officials are bracing for a surge in mail-in voting that some fear could significantly hamper the ability to count votes in time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOCELYN BENSON (D), MICHIGAN STATE SECRETARY: We're anticipating that we're going to have twice as many ballots sent through the mail or voted early than ever before in the history of our state and we're dealing with the same infrastructure because the legislature has not given us more time to, on the front end, process and even begin opening envelopes until Election Day morning. If that doesn't change, it may be until Friday evening before the full results of Michigan's elections are in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Time now for Cross-Exam with CNN Legal Analyst, Elie Honig. We're taking your questions and Elie is here to answer them.

One viewer asks, Elie, if there is some dispute about the election, does the law place any outer limits on how long that dispute could drag on past Election Day?

ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, Ana, this could be a chaotic election. But the law does give us important limits and principles. First of all, every state sets its own deadlines to accept and count mail-in ballots. Now, those deadlines vary state by state, three days, five days, up to 14 days after November 3rd, Election Day. So we likely will not know who won several states on Election Day or even the next day.

Now, after that under federal law, each state's chosen presidential electors officially cast their ballots on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December. This year, that's December 14th. But the key date is six days before that, December 8th. That's what you'll hear people call the safe harbor date. What that means is that any dispute about the state's outcome that's resolved by that date is final, cannot be challenged, Congress has to accept it.

In 2000, the Bush versus Gore dispute, the Supreme Court came down with its ruling exactly on that safe harbor date and that was a major reason why the Supreme Court decided when and how it did. And even if somehow disputes drag on beyond that date, the Constitution tells us the presidential term ends at noon January 20th no matter what. So in the very unlikely event that we've not selected president or vice president by that date, then we go into succession and the speaker of the House takes over.

So this could be a wild unpredictable process, Ana, but we will be guided by our laws and Constitution.

CABRERA: Hang on to our seats. Another viewer asked about that interview the attorney general did with Wolf Blitzer earlier this week and we heard Wolf, you know, really press the attorney general on the comments the president made suggesting that somebody should send in their ballot and then also go and try to cast their vote in person.

And here is the question. Is there any legal reason why Attorney General William Barr hedged when asked if it could be legal for a person to vote twice? Is there some law suggesting this could be okay in some circumstances?

HONIG: Yes, Ana, I wondered the same thing as I watched this. The answer is just no, absolutely not, no way, N-O, however you want to say it. It's a crime under federal law and every state's law to vote twice and every state has safeguards in place to detect and prevent multiple voting.

Also, it's a crime not only to vote twice but also to do what the law calls aid and abet, which means to induce or encourage somebody else to break the law. [18:30:04]

The A.G.'s response to Wolf there was bizarre. Either the AG really does not know you can't vote twice which is just inexplicable or Barr is just absolutely unwilling to say anything that might undermine something the president has said no matter how ridiculous. If that's the case, then the AG is demeaning the entire Justice Department just to play politics for the president.

CABRERA: Another viewer wants to know, is there a law or rule against the Justice Department announcing an indictment in a political case shortly before an election?

HONIG: So there's no law. But DOJ has a long-standing policy observed by administrations of both political parties called the 60-day rule, meaning within 60 days of an election DOJ will not announce new charges or take overt investigative steps such as executing a search warrant that might have a political impact on the election.

Now we just hit that 60-day mark two days ago on Friday. But the attorney general said, he said it to Wolf as well, he does not consider any indictments that may come out of the Durham investigation of the origins of the Russia investigation to be subject to that rule.

It's tough to understand that logic. Of course the Durham investigation has a political angle. The president talks about it constantly on the campaign trail. But Barr has made clear he intends to keep that door open to a potential September or even October surprise.

CABRERA: All right, Elie Honig, thank you so much, my friend.

HONIG: Thanks, Ana.

CABRERA: And don't forget, you can submit your own legal questions to Elie at CNN.com/opinion.

Chances are if you flip on the TV you'll see them. Political ads are starting to flood the airwaves. Especially now that we're in crunch time before the election. Hyperbole and exaggeration all hallmarks of political ads. But are there any rules on making sure Americans aren't being misled by outright falsehoods? That's next.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:36:02]

CABRERA: If you turn on the TV, you can't miss them. Political ads are flooding the airwaves with just 58 days now until election day. But can you trust that those ads are actually truthful?

As CNN's Brian Stelter explains, the Federal Communications Commission's rules bar local broadcast stations from censoring ads from qualified candidates even when they are misleading or just plain false.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Local stations are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC's rules require commercial broadcast stations to provide reasonable access to candidates for federal elective office. The rules say that stations are prohibited from censoring ads that are paid for or sponsored by legally qualified candidates and their authorized organizations. These rules apply to Senate and House races as well.

The result? The Trump campaign can buy ads and fill the airwaves with falsehoods like this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Joe Biden says --

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: If you elect me your taxes are going to be raised not cut.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That means middle class families, small businesses and seniors pay higher taxes.

STELTER: That quote was used way out context. The full quote shows that Biden was referring to raising taxes on the wealthy, not on everyone. And Biden has asserted that he is not going to raise income taxes on anyone making under $400,000 a year. But according to Axios that ad has aired in key battleground states, Florida, Arizona, Wisconsin, and more.

Trump has been unprecedented as a truth-challenged president. And not surprisingly his presidential campaign is taking advantage of a system that can't stop claims that are grossly misleading or worse.

Cable networks such as CNN and MSNBC have rejected some false Trump ads and cable networks can make those judgments because political advertising on cable is not regulated by the FCC. But since broadcast is regulated, the stations have no choice. And Trump's falsehoods continue.

There is one exception to this, though. As FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel told CNN, "Campaigns have the right to ask stations to remove third-party advertisements with false and fake stuff." Third parties like the super PAC behind this anti-Biden fracking ad which was not produced by the Trump campaign.

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Fracking in a Biden administration.

BIDEN: No. We would -- we would work it out. We would make sure it's eliminated.

STELTER: This week Biden addressed that claim head on.

BIDEN: I am not banning fracking. No matter how many times Donald Trump lies about me.

STELTER: Biden has also leaned on Pennsylvania TV stations to remove the PAC's ad, saying, "The news programs shown to your viewers have debunked these claims. Yet you continue to accept advertising dollars to allow America First action to spread them further. This incongruence is a disservice to your viewers and a misleading business practice."

However, local TV stations are incentivized to air these ads because PACs pay more for airtime than campaigns do. Why? Well, again, the answer is in the FCC rules. The rules say that stations cannot charge legally qualified candidates anything more than the lowest unit charge. This is the amount that they charge their most favored commercial customers.

As ABC News highlights here using CMAG data, pro-Trump efforts have booked about $173 million in ads from September through election day. Pro-Biden efforts have booked about $151 million. All this spending is a boon for local TV station that need the money. But it is a burden for viewers who don't know what to believe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Thanks to Brian Stelter for that reporting.

Some breaking news and shocking news today from the highest levels of professional tennis.

[18:40:03]

The world's number one men's player, top seed Novak Djokovic is out of the U.S. Open after an incident on the court today. Djokovic acting out of frustration smacks a tennis ball behind him and it hits a line judge. Now, he was immediately defaulted. He left the court. The lineswoman, who was hit in the neck or the head also leaves the court after being checked out.

This incident not only costs Novak Djokovic this tournament but also some money. The U.S. Tennis Association saying Djokovic will lose all ranking points earned at the U.S. Open and will be fined the prize money won at the tournament in addition to any or all fines levied with respect to the offending incident. Novak Djokovic was heavily favored to win the U.S. Open.

Time now for this week's "Before the Bell." Here's Christine Romans.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Ana. The markets' unrelenting climb could be hitting some resistance. After posting record highs early in the week stocks fell sharply on Thursday. The major averages suffered their worst day since June. The Dow plunged more than 800 points.

But a solid jobs report helped calm investors. The U.S. economy added 1.4 million jobs back in August. The unemployment rate fell to 8.4 percent. That is still historically high but lower than the height of the Great Recession.

This week investors will be watching for signs of inflation. Reports on producer and consumer prices are due. Both indexes rose in July. But economists are not worried inflation is a real threat yet. The real question for investors now was Thursday's big sell-off just a temporary swoon or the start of a bigger pullback? Keep in mind it's a short week on Wall Street. U.S. markets are closed tomorrow for Labor Day.

In New York I'm Christine Romans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:46:28]

CABRERA: Throughout this pandemic you probably have someone you've been thinking about a lot. Maybe it's a parent or a grandparent, a friend or colleague or a sibling. For me it's my brother John. As many of you know, he is a childhood brain cancer survivor, diagnosed just before his 10th birthday. He's an adult now and he works at a grocery store. And for the past several months I have been worried about him.

Thank goodness he has stayed healthy. But I just can't even imagine being a parent of a child with a pre-existing condition like cancer and trying to navigate the times we're in. And I've been following closely as many of you the story of our friend and former colleague Wajahat Ali and his daughter Nusayba's cancer journey. Now she battled stage four liver cancer and eventually received a liver transplant.

And so with September being Childhood Cancer Awareness Month I wanted to check back in with that family and Wajahat Ali is joining us now.

Wajahat, first, I am so happy to see you and I've been following you on Twitter. It looks like Nusayba is thriving. How is she doing, your little warrior princess?

WAJAHAT ALI, CONTRIBUTING OPINION WRITER, NEW YORK TIMES: Thank you so much, Ana. Great to see you again. Thank you for spending time on your show talking about childhood cancer awareness. She's doing fantastic. Nusayba, our warrior princess, had two costume changes today. In the morning she was Rapunzel and now she's wearing her princess dress. She just finished watching Mulan. And she's eating Fruit Loops and she had a little (INAUDIBLE), and she did her makeup.

Just because that's the day in the life of Nusayba. She's doing fantastic. She is cancer-free as of January. She rang the bell. September 24th coming up was the anniversary of her liver transplant. Thanks to an anonymous donor, Sean Zaheer. All the tests came back positive. But she's still immunocompromised like so many kids are. And I'm so happy you're doing this because we're in the middle of a pandemic.

CABRERA: Yes.

ALI: That has killed over 185,000 people and it's people like Nusayba that, you know, when people say why should I wear a mask, why should I social distance, think about this girl who battled like a warrior for a year. And -- just to live. And people like your brother, thank God he's alive. That's why we should care about each other, wear a mask, social distance, and she's doing fantastic. And let's hope, knock on wood, she thrives and rises.

CABRERA: Such wonderful news. Can you just remind our viewers, though, what you guys went through?

ALI: Last April our 2-year-old girl at that time, Nusayba, was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, a very rare form of cancer that only affects children. Stage 4, it was all over her liver. They found a spot in her lung, meaning it metastasized. They said that she wouldn't survive past May because that poor girl had every single complication. There was bleeding, the tumor broke off, the chemo had to get delayed.

You saw her, right? There was an NG tube, remember, when I used to bring her to the studio. And we had a call-out, and thanks to that call-out, thanks to the fact that -- you and so many producers. 500 people, mostly people who had never met her, signed up to be a liver donor. And Sean Zaheer stepped up, gave her a piece of the liver, full liver transplant, and thank God as of January she is cancer-free.

But she's not in the clear yet because she's still immunocompromised. But thank God -- thanks to health insurance, Ana. Thanks to health insurance.

CABRERA: Right.

ALI: Thanks to people's kindness, thanks to awareness. Otherwise, she wouldn't be here.

CABRERA: It's incredible. What a strong, brave, brave little girl. And as you have just discussed, I've been thinking about you because of the times we're in, the coronavirus pandemic hit just months after you guys celebrated Nusayba being cancer-free.

ALI: That's right. And we know cancer patients with COVID-19 are 16 times more likely to die.

[18:50:03]

They're at higher risk of severe illness. So what has that felt like, to experience this once-in-a-century pandemic with a child who is extra vulnerable? It must be so scary.

ALI: You know what, it's kind of dark humor because in January, when she rang the bell and my wife said, oh, we can get our lives back to normal, and then the pandemic hit. And in a strange way, my kids are very resilient because our last year has been so disruptive, that they've been able to kind of glide through it.

My kids wear masks everywhere, they know about the coronavirus. They know to wash their hands. They social distance. And so in a strange way, we've been really lucky because we were so accustomed to the daily disruption of cancer.

As you know, there are so many, though, who are still struggling, who are poor, who come from black and brown communities, who are immunocompromise, who don't have health insurance when this pandemic hit. And as you know, Ana, cancer doesn't wait and cancer doesn't care for a pandemic.

So if you are watching, again, please, please, please, when you wear that mask, it's not just about protecting you, it's about protecting those around us who are seniors, our elders, children like my daughter, Nusayba, who are fighting to survive who have been given a second chance. And I really hope, I really hope people are listening, think deeply about the need for health care. Because everyone talks about the miracle, right? Prayers and miracles.

But another miracle, Ana, was if it wasn't for my wife who has a job at Georgetown, my daughter would not have health care. She would not be allowed. And I think about all those Americans right now who do not have health care, who have someone who has cancer in their family, what will happen to our fellow Americans? So also think about this, think about this and think deeply about this election, think deeply about wearing masks, and think deeply about how many of us have family members who are immunocompromised who are vulnerable.

And if we just took care of each other, socially distance, wear a mask, Inshallah, God willing, as we say, there will be some beautiful stories like your brother's story and my daughter's story who is thriving and has her makeup on.

CABRERA: And that is so lovely to hear. I too have a 4-year-old and that sounds like she is at least getting some of that experience that all children should have at this age despite the pandemic. She sounds very spirited and she's so beautiful.

Wajahat Ali, thank you for coming on and sharing with us and providing that glimmer of light in our lives today to see her thriving is so wonderful. And thanks for raising awareness about childhood cancer.

ALI: And thank you so much for using this platform. I really, really appreciate it, Ana.

CABRERA: Back at you. Thank you.

Coming up, today Joe Biden is a household name. After all he spent decades in politics. Up next, we'll take you back to the '70s when Biden was a relatively unknown underdog trying to make it to the U.S. Senate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:57:28]

CABRERA: Long before he was running for president, Joe Biden launched a campaign that almost no one thought he could win. And in a brand-new CNN Special Report, CNN's Gloria Borger is taking a look back at that fateful Senate rate of 1972 -- Gloria.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Ana, it's hard to remember a time when not many people had ever heard the name Joe Biden, but that was the case in 1972 when he decided to run for a Senate seat in Delaware.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BORGER (voice-over): It was audacious, if not arrogant, for Biden to run as a 29-year-old underdog candidate of change against a well-liked Republican senator named Caleb Boggs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is your last name?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Miller. I know you have Miller family.

TED KAUFMAN, FRIEND AND LONGTIME POLITICAL ADVISER: He had been governor of the state for two terms. He had been a member of Congress for three terms and he was running for his third term in the United States Senate. Caleb Boggs was loved. I mean, he was loved.

BORGER: Once again, Biden asked Valerie to run the show.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I remember saying to him, I can't run a statewide campaign. I don't know how to do that.

BORGER: She reached out to a local Democratic Party activist Ted Kaufman.

KAUFMAN: So I went out and talked to him, I said you're running on civil rights, you're running on environment, you're running on tax reform and those are really good issues. And there was silence. And I said, but I don't think you have a chance of winning.

BORGER (on camera): You said what?

KAUFMAN: I don't think you have a chance on winning.

BORGER: And his reaction to that was?

KAUFMAN: Just come and help me. We'll see. We'll see.

BORGER (voice-over): Biden was confident he could talk his way into voters' hearts. But what Kaufman saw was bleak.

KAUFMAN: On Labor Day we did a big-time poll. You know what the number was? 47 percent for Boggs and 19 percent for Biden.

BORGER: But it was also the first year 18-year-olds could vote and young voters saw a candidate who was promising that he understands what's happening today. 50 years later, this time as a political elder trying to connect with young voters, it's still his mantra.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They had this funny feeling that Caleb Boggs' just -- his heart wasn't in it. He'd been talked into running one more time by Richard Nixon.

BORGER: And then --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We snuck up on him. Boggs, this was the Nixon landslide here. Everybody expected no Democrat to win and that was the truth.

BIDEN: We won by a rousing 3100 votes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BORGER: And I'm sure Biden has no intention of repeating that tight margin in November, Ana.

CABRERA: All right, Gloria. Thank you.

And CNN brings you the stories of Joe Biden and Donald Trump in a back-to-back documentary events starting tomorrow night at 8:00 here on CNN.

Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York.