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New York Prepares for Partial Shutdown; NFL Reschedules Games Due to COVID-19 Diagnoses; Protections Will Be in Place for Election Day Poll Safety. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired October 05, 2020 - 10:30   ET

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

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[10:32:00]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: After being an epicenter of the outbreak, New York got the outbreak under control remarkably. But now, coronavirus cases are surging in some neighborhoods of New York City, and now the mayor, Bill de Blasio, plans to shut down schools and nonessential businesses in nine ZIP codes that are being hit with high positivity rates.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: -- is a wake-up call to everyone in New York City to tighten up again, to do the things that work. Look, we overcame the worst problem in the entire country in remarkable fashion, so I know we can do it in these nine ZIP codes, but I think this is something where people have to remember, again, those rules work and we have to be devoted to them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: Our Alexandra Field joins us again this morning, right here in New York with more on this.

I mean, it's so disappointing -- as someone who lives in New York, lives in Brooklyn -- to see this happening in neighborhoods like, you know, right around us. What's the driver?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, Poppy, this is exactly what the city was trying to avoid and it's certainly the biggest challenge that they have faced since bending that curve, flattening that curve back in the spring.

What's driving it? Well, a lot of people will say complacency, holidays, celebrations, get-togethers, the fact that the city had just sort of thought that they had beaten this, and maybe some magical thinking that it had gone away.

The city is making it very clear that there cannot be any magical thinking, this virus has not gone away. They're urging everyone in a hotspot to get tested, that's exactly what they're doing in the tent just behind me on a street corner here in Brooklyn. This cluster of cases has affected neighborhoods in both Brooklyn and

Queens. Now, the mayor is saying it is time for more specific and targeted action, a shutdown in nine ZIP codes. These are zip codes that have seen a positivity rate of greater than three percent for seven consecutive days, that's twice the rate that the rest of the city is seeing.

TEXT: Coronavirus Pandemic NYC Plans to Reverse Reopenings in Hotspots: Nine ZIP codes with positivity rates above three percent for seven straight days; may close schools and non-essential businesses starting Wednesday; Eleven additional ZIP codes on watch list; New York governor must approve proposal

FIELD: This shutdown would mean closing of nonessential businesses and restaurants, it would bean closing in-person learning at some 300 schools, and it doesn't stop with the nine ZIP codes. The mayor is also proposing stricter restrictions in 11 ZIP codes where the rates are also rising.

TEXT: ZIP Codes Above Three Percent Positivity For Seven Consecutive Days: Far Rockaway, Edgemere/Far Rockaway 11691; Southern Brooklyn, Borough Park 11219; Gravesend/Homecrest 11223; Midwood 11230; Bensonhurst/Mapleton 11223; Flatlands/Midwood 11210; Central Queens, Kew Gardens 11415; Kew Gardens Hills/Pomonok 11367

None of this would go into effect before Wednesday. But first, Poppy and Jim, the governor needs to sign off on all of this. So far, he has pointed the finger at local authorities, saying local governments haven't done enough to effectively enforce restrictions that are already in place.

New York City, trying to fight a possible second wave -- or at least this cluster of cases -- as some 22 states around the nation are seeing increases; just five are seeing decreases, not where we wanted to be all these many months later --

SCIUTTO: No.

FIELD: -- Poppy, Jim.

HARLOW: Not at all where we want to be. Alexandra Field, appreciate the reporting as always. Thank you so much.

To sports now, more NFL players have tested positive for COVID-19, and that means a double header for Monday Night Football.

SCIUTTO: Yes, a lot of reminders in the last several days: this outbreak, that this infection affects -- can affect everyone, no one is impervious to it. Andy Scholes, tell us what the NFL's experience is.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim and Poppy, you know the Chiefs and Patriots, they were originally scheduled to play yesterday, but the NFL came out and announced on Saturday that they were going to have to move that game because Cam Newton for the Patriots and a player on the Chiefs, they both tested positive for COVID-19.

[10:35:14]

Now, the NFL does daily testing and no other Patriots or Chiefs players have tested positive since those first two positive tests, and that's despite a source telling CNN that Cam Newton went through an entire day of meetings and practice before the team learned of his positive test.

Now, the Patriots are taking two planes this morning to Kansas City instead of the normal one play, a source telling ProFootballTalks' Mike Florio that one plane will carry roughly 20 people who have had close contact with Cam Newton; the other plane's going to have the rest of the traveling party.

One plane is taking off from Logan Airport, the other from Providence. And according to multiple reports, the team actually using Delta planes because their normal team plane's dealing with an issue with operating certificates.

But the Patriots for now, scheduled to play the Chiefs tonight in Kansas City, 7:05 Eastern kick-off for that one. And since we've got two Monday Night Football games, the other game that was previously scheduled, Falcons-Packers, has been pushed back to an 8:50 Eastern kickoff time.

Now in the meantime, NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy tells CNN that for the first time in seven days, no Tennessee Titans players or staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. At least 20 Titans -- 10 players, 10 staff members -- have tested positive for the virus over the last week. Last Tuesday, the NFL closed the Titans' facility due to the outbreak. McCarthy says the league's going to see negative test results for consecutive days before reopening the facility.

And Jim and Poppy, you know, the Titans right now, scheduled to host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. For that game to happen, they will certainly need to have negative tests for the entire week.

SCIUTTO: Yes. And the NFL taking steps -- right? -- to protect its players that we haven't seen take place, even at the White House. Andy Scholes, thanks very much.

In-person early voting begins in several states across the country as the "Washington Post" is reporting the Justice Department is bracing for unrest as we near Election Day.

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[10:41:38]

HARLOW: Well, voters in several states can begin early in-person voting and mailing their absentee ballots today. People in California --a lot of electoral votes there -- Iowa, Nebraska, South Carolina and some counties in Montana can all start heading to polls starting today. Those in Iowa, Idaho and Rhode Island can begin their mail-in absentee ballots today. SCIUTTO: All of this as federal officials are now bracing for --

preparing for civil unrest on Election Day. The "Washington Post" reports the Justice department plans to station officers in a command center at FBI headquarters in case there are any disturbances at this poll specifically.

We're joined now by Nina Jankowicz, she's a global fellow at The Wilson Center, she's also served as an international election observer.

This is -- you know, I've spoken to folks about just how seriously they're taking this. First, let's begin, which groups specifically are considered at this point the biggest threat -- most likely to cause civil unrest at or around Election Day?

NINA JANKOWICZ, GLOBAL FELLOW, THE WILSON CENTER: Well, Jim, I think what the president's remarks at the debate last Tuesday night, encouraging all of his supporters to go and watch, along with the Trump campaign's recruitment of election observers in a very strange and militarized way, calling it the Trump army and asking supporters to enlist, I think there's a general concern about Trump supporters potentially showing up armed to the polls.

And these sorts of voter suppression, voter intimidation, that's illegal everywhere. Of course there are, you know, rules for party observers, partisan observers to be in the polling station, but in 40 states you need special accreditation to do that. And I think there's just, again, a widespread fear that you know, groups of irregular supporters are going to show up at the polls to intimidate people and, quote-unquote, "watch." And that's very disturbing.

SCIUTTO: Armed, lord.

HARLOW: And Nina, listen to this from the president on "Fox News," this was just on August the 20th. So just you know, a month and a half ago. Here's what he said.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (via telephone): We're going to have sheriffs, and we're going to have law enforcement, and we're going to have hopefully U.S. attorneys and we're going to have everybody, and attorney generals."

(END AUDIO CLIP)

HARLOW: What can and can't the president order on Election Day, and in early voting in terms of poll-watching?

JANKOWICZ: Well, I think -- yes, I think the most important thing to note is that law enforcement are supposed to be protecting everyone's right to vote, not just one party over another.

We've also seen one disturbing instance in Virginia -- where I live, in Fairfax County -- that you know, Trump supporters were gathered outside of an early voting site, blocking access to the site. Again, that is not allowed, you are not supposed to be doing any sort of campaigning within a certain radius, and certainly not blocking other voters' access to the polls. Everyone should be able to, you know, go and do their civic duty without interference no matter what their political inclinations are.

SCIUTTO: Well, I mean, there's the physical act of blocking, then there's the intimidation factor. Because if I were to show up at a polling station with my children and there were armed people there -- right? -- as they're allowed to do in some states, right? Open carry, I mean, that's an alarming prospect.

I suppose for voters listening, I mean, this gives me a scary feeling in the pit of my stomach. What can they do to ask for help in advance so that they're confident that they'll be safe, that they won't face this kind of intimidation?

[10:45:05]

JANKOWICZ: Yes, that's a really good and important point. I think the first thing I would say, just to dispel with any disinformation that's been going around, you know, there is no evidence that the 2020 election is going to be rigged. Everyone should -- you know, have faith that their ballots are going to be counted freely and fairly and you know, accurately -- first of all.

Second of all, if you do encounter that sort of intimidation or attempts at suppression at the polling station, the best thing to do is inform a poll worker. They have resources that they can go to, they can call to make sure that you know, people who are causing a disturbance are removed.

And then there are also a number of nonpartisan voter hotlines that you can call who will dispatch lawyers and-or law enforcement to make sure that this is taken care of. And importantly, they're also going to be tracking these incidents, so we know what's going on on Election Day. But no one should be deterred from voting, absolutely not, please go out and do your civic duty.

HARLOW: Nina, before you go, you warned in a tweet -- or advised in a tweet -- that you know, remember that being a poll watcher requires training. What kind of training and what kind of accreditation to be able to actually do it legally?

JANKOWICZ: Yes, so I mean, it differs from state to state. Again, 40 states require important accreditation to even be present in the polling place. But when I've worked as an international election observer, you don't just get to the country that you're observing and then go get dispatched to your turf, you go through days of training to understand -- most importantly -- that the act of election observation is to protect rights, not to impinge on them.

You are there to watch, you're there to record what's going on, and exercise restraint. Under no means are you, you know, involved in the democratic process. You are just reporting what's going on so that more people can have the opportunity to do their civic duty in the future. SCIUTTO: Well, Nina, before -- in break, I'm going to ask you to

share with us a website -- resources that voters around the country can use in their particular community to go to if they face this kind of intimidation, what they could do about it. And folks, as you're watching, we'll make sure to share that with you.

HARLOW: Nina, thanks so much. We appreciate it very much.

JANKOWICZ: Thanks for having me.

SCIUTTO: Just remarkable to imagine.

Well, Senator Kamala Harris is off the campaign trail and preparing for the vice presidential debate -- of course, coming up this week. Coming up this hour, the extra precautions there will be in place ahead of that event to protect the health of the candidates.

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[10:51:54]

SCIUTTO: Welcome back. As President Trump is in the hospital being treated for coronavirus, Vice President Joe Biden is campaigning today in the key battleground state of Florida. This as his running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, prepares for her big debate this week.

HARLOW: M.J. Lee is with us now -- good morning, M.J. What more do we know about what Biden will do on this trip to Florida?

M.J. LEE, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Poppy and Jim, even with everything that is going on with the president, Joe Biden is continuing to hit the campaign trail. We are going to see him later today in the state of Florida -- obviously a critical state in the general election with a lot of electoral votes up for grabs.

And what the Biden campaign has announced recently is that the former vice president himself is going to get tested more frequently for COVID-19 than he previously had been. You'll recall that Friday morning, he announced that he had taken two separate COVID-19 tests, they both came back negative. And yesterday as well, the campaign announcing that he had taken another test that also came back negative.

The Biden campaign has also expressed some sensitivity around the fact that the president right now is hospitalized because of COVID-19. They said that they were going to pull down for the time being any negative ads about President Trump, and they also said that -- excuse me -- that over the weekend, Biden said, I should say in a virtual event, that he is just reticent to be attacking President Trump right now. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Fundamentally differently. I'm in a little bit of a spot here because I don't want to be attacking the president and the first lady now because they're now the -- have contracted coronavirus. And Jill and I pray for their quick and full recovery.

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LEE: I should note though, after Biden made those remarks, he did go on to criticize President Trump and his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, so clearly this is not an area where he feels like this is off-limits for now.

I will also note, of course, we are looking forward to the vice presidential debate that is coming up later this week, that is still ongoing. This is going to be the first time that Pence and Harris face off together on the debate stage.

And there have been some changes that the Debate Commission has made ahead of this debate, Remember, the two candidates were initially supposed to be spaced apart by just seven feet, but now they are saying that spacing is going to be 12 feet. And everybody inside that debate hall has to be masked, otherwise they are going to be escorted. So clearly, we are seeing the effects of heightened concerns amid the president testing positive for COVID-19 -- guys.

HARLOW: And a mask mandate -- which is a very good thing.

LEE: Yes.

HARLOW: M.J., thanks a lot for that reporting.

[10:54:33]

Well, the only vice presidential debate of 2020, it airs this Wednesday night. It'll be right here on CNN, special coverage begins 7:00 Eastern.

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SCIUTTO: A little bit of paying it forward now, a couple in Florida has raised more than $40,000 to help the families of Disney employees -- many thousands of them -- who have been laid off.

HARLOW: That's right. So last week, Disney announced it would lay off 28,000 of their workers across the country, many of them are right there in Central Florida. That led the couple -- who operate a Disney tourist blog -- to launch a virtual fundraising drive. They're donating the money to Second Harvest Food Bank in Central Florida. The food bank says the need there has doubled since this pandemic started.

A little bit of good news about people doing great things in this chaotic world.

[11:00:02]

We're glad you were with us --

SCIUTTO: Welcome help.

HARLOW: -- yes, yes, exactly. We're glad you were with us this Monday. We'll see you back here tomorrow morning. I'm Poppy Harlow.