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Labor Day Weekend Crowds Prompt Fear of Third Peak; Miami Beaches Flood with People Despite Coronavirus Warnings; One-on-One Interview with Democratic V.P. Nominee, Sen. Kamala Harris. Aired 11- 11:30a ET

Aired September 07, 2020 - 11:00   ET

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

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[11:00:04]

JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everybody. Welcome to a special Labor Day edition of CNN's NEWSROOM. I'm John King. Thanks for spending this day with us.

It's an active day on the 2020 campaign trail. Joe Biden heads to Pennsylvania. And both Kamala Harris and Mike Pence visit Wisconsin. The president is here in Washington and says he will hold an afternoon press conference.

More on the campaign ahead, including CNN's sweeping interview with the Democratic vice-presidential nominee.

First though, the Labor Day coronavirus crossroads. It will take a week or two before we know whether recent history repeats itself, meaning whether or not another holiday weekend leads to another surge in new infections.

Yes, outdoors is safer than indoors. But look at some of these pictures. These weekend images, some of them quite alarming. Beaches packed with people. Few of them wearing masks and few of them keeping six feet apart.

Right here, live pictures of the beach in Jacksonville, Florida, a beautiful shot there.

Today, a former FDA chief puts the odds of a coronavirus vaccine in 2020 at extremely low. The president though, again, promises a vaccine soon.

But at least three major vaccine-makers drafting a public pledge they will not pursue FDA approval until the data says their vaccines are safe and effective.

Listen here, Senator Harris asked if she would take a vaccine if offered one before Election Day. She says it depends on who vouches for it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), VICE-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I would not trust Donald Trump. And it would have to be a credible source of information that talks about the -- the efficacy and the reliability of whatever he's talking about. I will not take his word for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Let's take a closer look at the trend right now. Again this, Labor Day special holiday crossroads we find ourselves at.

If you look at the 50-state trend map, it's a mixed picture. And 16 states trending up, the orange and red, meaning more new infections now compared to a week ago. And 16 states, that's the beige, holding steady. And 18 states trending down.

Texas and California trending down. Fewer cases now than a week ago. That's good. They were a big part of the summer surge. But you do see, especially in the middle of the country, some going up.

This is the saddest map. Obviously, the death trend tracks the lags. Comes a week or two after the case count. And 15 states reporting more deaths now than a week OK. And 13 states holding steady. And 22 states, in the green, reporting fewer deaths compared to the data one week ago.

Here's the trend. As we think about Labor Day, go back to Memorial Day and July 4th. Memorial Day, July 4th, the summer surge. Memorial Day was the gateway to this giant spike. We were down just below 20,000 new infections a day on average and got up higher than 70,000 new infections a day. Down now around 40.

The question is: Can you push this down lower or will -- after Memorial Day, it went up, after July 4th it went up more. What will happen after Labor Day? That's the question.

The reason we ask you is because of the evidence before us. Look at this. Of all the coronavirus infections in the United States since the beginning of the pandemic, 74 percent of them have come since Memorial Day.

The baseline had been shoved down to about 18,000, as I noted, and then it spiked up. And 72 percent of the infections in the United States have been since Memorial Day. About half, about half of the deaths since Memorial Day, 47 percent there.

So that's why we look at these holidays. And we think: Will we keep it in line this time, or will we surge again, especially in the south? If you look at the case count in the south, 86 percent the cases across the southern states came after Memorial Day.

Remember, it was largely in the northeast early on, except for California, Washington State out west. The south had been spared. And 86 percent after Memorial Day.

So why are the public health experts worried heading into this holiday weekend? Because already some states have alarming positivity rates. Seventeen 17 percent in North Dakota, 19 percent South Dakota, 17 percent Kansas. Iowa, Missouri, also in the mid-teens.

And 12 states have a seven-day average positivity rate of over 10 percent. The public health experts say you want to shove this down below 5 percent and push it down more.

Florida, one of the states that drove the summer surge at 13 percent, down from the high in July but still too high.

Let's get straight to CNN's Rosa Flores live for us in Miami Beach on this Labor Day weekend, Labor Day -- Rosa?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John. Well, we're seeing a weather storm come through right now. That's why we're not on the beach. So Mother Nature has different plans on Labor Day here in Miami.

But as you were mentioning, officials here very concerned that after Labor Day that there could be another surge.

And as we look at this nationally, right now, there's more than 40,000 cases a day. But at the height of the summer surge, nationally, there was more than 6,000 cases here in the state of Florida at the height of the summer surge. Florida reporting more than 15,000 cases.

Right now, in the past week, the case count has been between 2,000 and 3,000 cases a day. So officials here say that the cases have stabilized. Take a listen.

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[11:05:07]

MAYOR FRANCIS SUAREZ (R-MIAMI-FL): Things have stabilized and become much better. But we have seen spikes after long weekends, after a spring break. And so that's certainly a concern, something that we've been messaging for the last few days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: Now, John, an important thing to note is that, as you've seen, there's been a lot of videos from coast to coast showing people on the beach. A lot of them are social distancing. A lot of them. And some of them wearing masks, not all of them.

But here's the thing that we've seen here in Miami-Dade. It's not all what you see in public that is the problem. It's what you don't see.

Here in Miami-Dade, the problem was that people were having large gatherings at home. They were having large gatherings and large parties in rental properties.

So that's what officials here also say, it's not just what you do outside the home. It's what you do inside your home -- John?

KING: Rosa Flores, grateful again for the live reporting in Florida. Stay safe. Mother Nature has a way of complicating things.

Rosa, thanks. Appreciate the reporting very much

When we come back, CNN's exclusive and extended interview with the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, Kamala Harris. Her views on Donald Trump, would she trust a vaccine, and her new partnership with Joe Biden.

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[11:10:27]

KING: President Trump busy tweeting and re-tweeting today, including law-and-order themes. He's here in Washington.

But the campaign trail quite active this Labor Day, opening a week in which both campaigns are adding modest travel with an emphasis on the battleground states.

Today is Wisconsin stops for the Democratic vice-presidential nominee candidate, Senator Kamala Harris, and follows an exclusive and extended conversation with CNN's Dana Bash.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Senator Harris, thank you so much for sitting down and welcoming us to your alma mater, Howard University.

HARRIS: Yes the mecca.

BASH: We're going to talk about that later. But first, I want to talk about what's going on right now --

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: -- in the news, especially coronavirus.

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: If you win, your administration is going to inherit a really dire situation. A key model is projecting deaths could reach 3,000 a day by December, in part, because of declining vigilance of the public.

As you know, President Trump has promised a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year or maybe sooner.

Would you trust that vaccine?

HARRIS: I think we've learned since this pandemic started, but really before that, that there's very little that we can trust that comes out of Donald Trump's month.

From the beginning of this pandemic, he's called it a hoax. He's muzzled the public health experts. He's minimized the seriousness of it. He's created false expectations for the American people and American families.

Even though, if they had listened to the scientists and the experts, he would have understood the gravity of it. And the power that he, as president of the United States, has to actually save lives. And none of those were his priorities.

His priority was to do whatever he thought was politically expedient. And so, no, I would not trust his word. I would trust the words of public health experts and scientists but not Donald Trump.

BASH: But do you trust that, in the situation that we're in now, that the public health experts and the scientists will get the last word on the efficacy of a vaccine?

HARRIS: If past is prologue, they will not. They will be muzzled. They will be suppressed. They will be sidelined. Because he's looking at an election coming in less than 60 days and he's grasping for whatever he can get to pretend that he's been a leader on this issue when he has not.

BASH: Let's just say there's a vaccine that is approved and even distributed for the election. Would you get it?

HARRIS: Well, I think that's going to be an issue for all of us. I will say that I would not trust Donald Trump. And it would have to be a credible source of information that talks about the -- about the efficacy and the reliability of whatever he's talking about.

I will not take his word for it. He wants us to inject bleach. No, I will not take his word.

BASH: Dr. Fauci said a vaccine would not be approved unless the American people had really assurances that it was safe and that he feels that it was safe and, if that happens, he would take it.

Do you feel more comfortable hearing someone like Dr. Fauci say that?

HARRIS: No, I think Dr. Fauci has proven, for anyone who has been watching him for years and years, to put the public health of the American people as the highest priority in terms of his work and his reputation and his priority. Yes, I trust Dr. Fauci.

BASH: Let's look down the road and hopefully at some point there will be a credible and safe vaccine for coronavirus.

HARRIS: Yes, yes.

BASH: If that happens, should all 50 states require students to get that vaccine before entering public school?

HARRIS: Well, first, Dana I would say that there's a huge distinction between creation of a vaccine and then peer reviewed to the point that it is actually viable. Big difference between vaccine and vaccination.

BASH: Absolutely. HARRIS: And one of the issues that I think is very critical on this

point is whether people are vaccinated is whether there's a national plan.

Joe Biden and I have a plan, a national plan. Donald Trump does not.

So when we start breaking down different populations, there has to be an overall plan that thinks about those who -- and willed administer vaccines to those who have been hardest hit and most vulnerable and most in need.

And -- and that's the kind of approach we need to have.

[11:15:01]

BASH: When you get to the point of vaccinations, would that plan requirement for public schools to take the coronavirus vaccine?

HARRIS: I will listen to the public health experts and hear what they have to say.

BASH: Early on, the former Vice President Joe Biden appeared to support a federal mask mandate. And now he says he would put a lot of pressure on governors, on mayors, on local officials for them to issue the mandate.

So can you clear this up? What exactly is the Biden/Harris stance on this? Would a Biden/Harris administration support a federal mask mandate?

HARRIS: So the Biden/Harris position on this is that leaders must lead. And one of the ways leaders lead is they set standards.

And so what Joe has been very clear about in his personal behavior, much less in what he has admonishing and requesting of the American people, is that we all make the sacrifice to wear a mask in the interest of love of our neighbor, in the interest of defeating or at least reducing the health risks and the number of deaths in America.

So it's about a national standard. Everyone should wear a mask.

And here's the thing about this. None of us likes wearing a mask. Nobody likes to wear a mask.

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: There's a difference between a standard --

HARRIS: It's about sacrifice.

BASH: There's a difference between a standard and a mandate. Would it be a federal mandate under the Biden/Harris administration?

HARRIS: It would be a standard.

No, listen, this is not about -- in terms of the priorities of Joe Biden and myself, this is not about punishment. It's -- it's not about Big Brother. It is simply about saying what a leader -- what a leader says in times of crisis.

And this is -- you look at World War II, you look at the Great Depression, where leaders said, we each have to sacrifice for the sake of the nation and the collective, and that's what this is about.

BASH: Right, and I get that.

But how do you enforce a standard, especially when, as you know, there are governors who are in -- who just don't agree with that and they are not mandating it on the more local level? How do you enforce that?

HARRIS: But I think that part of the issue here is we have a president of the United States who made this a partisan issue and made it a political issue and he had governors who fell in line with him on his politics.

BASH: You don't think it will still be a partisan issue if you win?

HARRIS: I hope not. I pray not. Because this -- the COVID, the virus could care less who you voted for in the last election or who you plan to vote for in the next election.

And we need leadership that appreciates that, on certain issues, they should not be partisan. And wearing a mask certainly shouldn't be one of them.

BASH: I want to turn to Kenosha.

HARRIS: OK.

BASH: You believe that the officer who shot Jacob Blake should be charged.

You were the district attorney in San Francisco.

I'm wondering if you are putting yourself in the position of the D.A. in Kenosha and how you would feel if you got pressure from the Democratic running mate to be vice president of the United States to put criminal charges in without necessarily knowing the facts that the D.A. knows?

HARRIS: You're absolutely right. That's why I've been clear, I'm not in full possession of the facts in the case.

But based on what I've seen, I think charges very much should be considered and should be considered in a very serious way and that there should be accountability and consequence.

But I think the bigger point here is also that we have to agree that we can't have a system that does not require accountability and consequence for everyone who breaks the rules or breaks the law. And that includes police officers.

But I -- everyone is entitled to due process. Everyone, including police officers. And I encourage that. I support that. I think our democracy and our system of justice requires that.

BASH: The way I took what you said, I think it was last week, was much more -- was much more forward leaning --

HARRIS: No, I think that --

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: -- that he should be charged.

HARRIS: I think, based on what I saw

(CROSSTALK)

HARRIS: I think, based on what I saw, he should be charged. But I'm in the not in full possession of the facts and the evidence.

BASH: OK.

HARRIS: And I'm clearly not the prosecutor in the case.

And the prosecutor in the case must make a decision based on all of the evidence and all of the laws. And that includes giving everyone, including those who might be charged, due process in the process.

BASH: I'm sure you've been following the story in Rochester, New York.

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: There's been another incident. Seven officers were suspended after the death of another black man, Daniel Prude.

Should those officers be charged based on what you know?

HARRIS: I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt to the prosecutors who are involved in that case.

And in particular, I know that the attorney general of California -- excuse me, the attorney general of New York is reviewing the case. And -- and -- and I expect that they will review all of the evidence and make the appropriate decision.

BASH: Because this is where you come from --

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: -- law enforcement.

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: And top cop is where you come from.

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: I want to ask about something that you wrote in a 2009 book.

HARRIS: OK.

BASH: Which is, "If we take a show hands of those who would like to see more police officers on the streets, mine would shoot up."

And then, in June of this year, you said to the "New York Times," "It's status-quo thinking to believe that putting more police on the streets creates more safety. That's wrong."

[11:20:06]

So my question for you now, in retrospect, looking at your time as D.A. and as attorney of California, through the lens of 2020, did you help contribute to what you describe as a status-quo thinking that more police equals more safety?

HARRIS: I am very clear that we have got to, in America, reimagine how we are accomplishing public safety.

And what I believe now and what I believed then remains true and consistent, which is, if you look at the communities that have no or very little police presence as compared to those who have a high degree of police presence, you'll see stark differences.

And one of them is this. If you go into any upper-class suburb in America, you will not see police presence.

But what you will see are well-funded public schools, high rates of homeownership, small businesses that have access to capital. You'll see families who have jobs where they don't have to worry about getting to the end of the month and feeding their children.

And so if we want to create safe communities, one of the smartest ways we can do that is invest in the health of those communities because healthy communities are safe communities.

BASH: Would your hand still shoot up if somebody asked if you want more police officers on your streets?

HARRIS: What I would say now is what I would say then, which is I want to make sure that if a woman is raped, a child is molested or one human being murders another human being, that there will be a police officer that responds to case and that there will be accountability and consequence for offender, yes.

BASH: Attorney General William Barr said on CNN that he does not believe that are two justice systems in the United States for black and white Americans.

He added, "I think we have to be a little careful about throwing the idea of racism around. And I don't think it's as common as people suggest."

What do you think?

HARRIS: I think that Donald Trump and Bill Barr are spending full time in a different reality.

The reality of America today is what we have seen over generations and frankly since our inception, which is we do have two systems of justice in America.

But here's the thing that gives me a sense of optimism and a sense of belief in who we are as a nation. We also have an ideal that is inscribed in marble on the Supreme Court that we all hold dear, which is that ideal of equal justice under law.

And so while we have two systems of justice, we also fight for equal justice under law.

And -- and that means doing what Joe Biden and I are proposing, which is having a criminal justice system that, yes, bans chokeholds and carotid holds, makes sure we'll require accountability for police officers who break the rules and break the law, that we're going to invest in communities and the economic strength of those communities.

But doing it all, recognizing that there are huge disparities in our country based on race. And -- and it -- it does us no good if we want to solve those disparities to pretend they don't exist.

BASH: And that exists in police forces across the country?

HARRIS: There's no question that we have seen an unacceptable incidence for generations of unarmed black men being killed. Nobody can deny that.

You look at the numbers and proportionate to the population, a black man is exponentially more likely to be stopped without probable cause, arrested.

You can look at, for example, marijuana offenses, equal use between white population and black population, but black people are exponentially more likely to be arrested and prosecuted for those offenses.

So I don't think most reasonable people who are paying attention to the facts would dispute that there are racial disparities and racial -- a system that has engaged in racism.

BASH: I want to ask about Russia.

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: The Department of Homeland Security bulletin said that Russia is trying to amplify -- amplify claims that mail-in voting will lead to widespread voting fraud and undermine the public's trust in the upcoming election.

Are you worried that Russian interference could cost you the election?

HARRIS: I am clear that Russia interfered in the election of the president of the United States in 2016. I serve on the Senate Intelligence Committee. We have published detailed reports about what exactly what we believe happened.

And -- and I do believe that there will be foreign interference in the 2020 election and that Russia will be at the front of the line.

BASH: Could it cost you the White House?

HARRIS: Theoretically, of course. Yes.

BASH: And that's based on what you're hearing publicly. Or you mentioned you're on the Senate Intelligence Committee?

(CROSSTALK)

[11:25:07]

HARRIS: Listen, let me just tell you something. I -- we have to be a realist. And I'm a realist about it. Joe is a realist about it.

We have classic voter suppression at play in this election coming up, where after the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act with Shelby v Holder in 2013, dozens of states passed laws that were designed to suppress the black vote, to suppress students from voting, to suppress indigenous people from voting.

So much so that, in North Carolina, a court of appeals said that the law was passed with surgical precision to -- to get in the way of black voters from voting.

So we have classic voter suppression. We have what happened in 2016, which is -- which is foreign interference.

We have a president who is trying to convince the American people not to believe in the integrity of our election system and compromise their belief that their vote might actually count.

These things are all at play.

And I am very realistic, Joe is very realistic about the fact that, until we can win and get in and put some teeth back in the Voting Rights Act and bring back the public's confidence in the system, that there will be many obstacles that people are intentionally placing in front of Americans' ability to vote.

But we will surpass and surmount and get around those obstacles.

BASH: President Trump, Vice President Pence, they have been campaigning more and more on the issue of fracking, which is a process of oil and gas drilling. They think that this is going to help them win votes in key states like Pennsylvania.

Joe Biden has said, quote, "I am not banning fracking." During your primary campaign, you said that you supported a ban. Are you comfortable with Joe Biden's position?

HARRIS: Yes, because Joe is saying, listen, one, those are good-paying jobs in places like Pennsylvania. And, two, that we need to also invest and put a significant investment in the good-paying union jobs that we can create around clean energy, around renewable energy.

And that is the kind of approach that we need to have. But we're always understanding that it's a false choice to suggest that we either take care of jobs or we take care of our environment. We can do both and we should do both.

BASH: On the economy --

HARRIS: Yes, yes.

BASH: -- we have new jobs numbers out at the end of the week that showed unemployment is at 8.4 percent. And not great but about where President Obama had it in 2012.

And so my question is: Are you worried, despite the fact that it's, again, not great, that things are coming back to the point where Donald Trump could have more meat on the bone for his economic argument? That it's coming back?

HARRIS: Listen, I want the American people to -- to be able to work. I want that we have jobs that are filled by the hard-working people who want to work and want to have the dignity that comes with good work.

But there's no question that Donald Trump has been an abject failure and incompetent when it comes to addressing the severe job loss that has happened as a result of the pandemic because he has failed to address the pandemic itself.

And when we look at this path, hopefully at some point to recovery, his perspective cannot be our perspective. Because his perspective for too long is to talk about how well the economy is doing based on how rich people are doing.

We need to talk about how the economy is doing based on how working people are doing. And right now, working people are suffering. People are standing or sitting in their cars in food lines for hours.

Dana, we have -- I saw a number that one in five mothers in America is describing her children under the age of 12 as being hungry. That's America today.

And -- and we need leadership that -- that cares about that instead of looking in a mirror and then -- and professing greatness when, in fact, there's -- this is abject despair.

BASH: Republican operatives have been helping Kanye West get on the ballot in several states, including Minnesota and Colorado.

It's being seen as an effort to win over potential Biden voters and help Donald Trump in the states where he's on the ballot or he's getting there.

Are you concerned that these efforts are going to be successful?

HARRIS: Listen, Joe and I are going to work hard to earn every vote.

BASH: Kanye West doesn't scare you?

HARRIS: What is the biggest challenge and the biggest goal is to earn the vote of everyone.

And that's going to be about telling folks about how we will build back better.

It's about telling folks that we're going to put science and public health concerns ahead of politic.

It's about saying we're going to grow our economy and invest in the jobs of the future and in the American worker and the American family.

And that's how we're going to earn those votes.

[11:30:01]

BASH: Thank you, Senator.

HARRIS: You're welcome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: Let's get some perspective now from our chief political correspondent, Dana Bash.

I took notes during the conversation, Dana, when it aired yesterday and then again there.