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Michigan Governor Calls Trump's Rhetoric Dangerous; Black Woman Rallies Voters in Key Swing State of Michigan; Pelosi, Mnuchin to Resume Stimulus Talks Today; British Prime Minister Imposes Tough Restrictions on Manchester; Ireland Imposing Strictest Restrictions for Next Six Weeks; Airlines Test App to Verify Passengers' Health Status. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired October 21, 2020 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer can sympathize with being the target of President Trump's attacks. She spoke earlier to CNN's Anderson Cooper about the President's rhetoric.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): We all have come to know that people like Dr. Fauci now have to have security because the rhetoric in this country has gotten so out of control. I've been confronting death threats since April when sights were first set on me. This is the culmination of this rhetoric and inciting and demonizing leaders, public servants who are just trying to save lives.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: For those who are going to be voting on election day, you know, we saw armed guys break into the statehouse in Michigan screaming at legislators, screaming at police. You know, this is I guess where some people involved in the plot against you actually kind of got together and met. The President said liberate Michigan.

Are you worried folks like that are going to show up on election day essentially, you know, saying they're poll watchers, or whether it's that, or to intimidate people, are you prepared -- is Michigan prepared for that sort of thing?

WHITMER: We are preparing. I am fortunate that we have a great Attorney General in Dana Nessel, and our Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, we're working closely to make sure that every voter who waits until November 3rd and wants to go vote on election day is safe and knows that their ballot is going to be counted. And so, we are running tabletop exercises in preparation for this.

But I also think it's important to remind people, you can vote right now in Michigan. So, to my fellow Michiganders who are watching, I encourage you to vote now. And if you have an absentee ballot, don't toss it in the mail. We're getting too close to the election. You should drop it off at the many drop boxes or at your clerk's office now.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: And black women around Michigan are taking the governor's advice to vote ahead of election day. They're also going into their communities to make sure people know their vote can make a difference. CNN's Kate Bolduan has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WENDY CALDWELL-LIDDELL, FOUNDER, MOBILIZE DETROIT: OK, so we're saying you don't voice if aren't registered. So, let's get you registered, OK.

I think that the apathy has just grown and has just become so pervasive in our communities, because people are just trying to survive that we have to get back to empowering people.

Let's cycle back this way.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 29-year-old Wendy Caldwell-Liddell is a woman with no shortage of energy.

CALDWELL-LIDDELL: Hey, did she talk to you already?

BOLDUAN: She doesn't work for any campaign, but since August, she says she's spent three days a week every week between her full-time job and taking care of two kids using that energy to try and convince fellow Detroiters their vote matters.

CALDWELL-LIDDELL: At this point, this is our survival now. What happens politically is a part of our survival and there is no escaping that.

BOLDUAN (on camera): 10,704. What does that number mean to you?

CALDWELL-LIDDELL: Is that how many votes Trump won by?

BOLDUAN: That's exactly how many votes.

CALDWELL-LIDDELL: So that number. It hurts. It hurts.

BOLDUAN (voice-over): Wayne County, which includes Detroit, went for Hillary Clinton by a wide margin in 2016. But she got about 76,000 fewer votes there than Obama did in 2012. Remember, Trump won the entire state by just 10,704 votes.

(on camera): Are you voting for Joe Biden or are you more voting against Donald Trump?

CALDWELL-LIDDELL: 80 percent against Donald Trump, 20 percent for Joe Biden. I would say that.

BOLDUAN: What does that mean?

CALDWELL-LIDDELL: It means that I know that as a voter and as a black woman that there's a job that I have to do in order to get a representative who will come close to protecting my people in office. But I am not necessarily excited about having another representative there who, really, does not inherently understand the needs of our community.

BOLDUAN (voice-over): Markita Blanchard, like Wendy, has lived in Detroit her whole life. But at 63 years old, she sees the choice this election a bit differently.

MARKITA BLANCHARD, BIDEN SUPPORTER: I'm 100 percent voting for Biden.

BOLDUAN (on camera): Does Biden make you excited?

BLANCHARD: Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes, he does. His enthusiasm, his past record, it's like a charge.

BOLDUAN: President Trump says often that he has done more for the black community --

BLANCHARD: That's -- go ahead.

BOLDUAN: No, I don't even need to finish.

BLANCHARD: He is full of (BEEP). You know what I'm saying? He has not done nothing. I've had people say, well, he's not my president. I didn't vote. I said well, did you vote at all. They say no, I didn't vote. I say, if you did not vote, you did vote for him.

BOLDUAN (voice-over): Amber Davis is one of those Detroiters who voted for Obama in 2012, then didn't vote at all in 2016.

(on camera): Why didn't you vote in 2016?

[04:35:00]

AMBER DAVIS, MICHIGAN VOTER: I don't want Trump, and I don't want Hillary. I didn't really care who won that election.

BOLDUAN: So, what's your plan this election?

DAVIS: I don't like Biden, but I'm voting for Biden. The coronavirus, everything that's going on is just horrible. So, he's got to go.

BOLDUAN: One path to flipping Michigan blue again and a critical pursuit of the Biden campaign is getting those voters who sat out four years ago to show up this time. And a sign the Trump campaign knows this, it has an office right down the road from the Democrats specifically targeting black voters in Detroit.

How unusual is that to see, forget Trump, but a Republican presidential campaign opened an office in the west side of Detroit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've never seen it. I've never seen it ever, ever before.

BOLDUAN: But what does it tell you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The importance of not only Michigan but Detroit in the black vote because the parties -- both parties need us, really.

CALDWELL-LIDDELL: Are you going to help me?

BOLDUAN: Everyone always talks about on TV -- they always talk about how black women are the backbone of the Democratic Party.

CALDWELL-LIDDELL: We are. We are. Black women are the backbone.

BOLDUAN: Do you think the Democratic Party takes you for granted?

CALDWELL-LIDDELL: Absolutely. Absolutely they take us for granted because they know that black women are going to help them get the big wins they need where it matters, but they also know that they can give us the bare minimum knowing that we aren't going to choose the other side.

BOLDUAN: What does that say about the country?

CALDWELL-LIDDELL: It says we've still got a long way to go when the backbone of the country is the most neglected.

BOLDUAN: This is a slice of the electorate, of course, not necessarily predictive of how the election is going to swing. But regardless of who wins, what is clear here, both parties have a lot of work to do to either hold on to or win over the support of these passionate, reliable voters, black women.

Kate Bolduan, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Later today House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are expected to resume talks in an effort to find common ground on a major stimulus deal. Pelosi seems upbeat about the progress, but some Senate Republicans are not so optimistic.

And CNN's John Defterios joins us now from Abu Dhabi with more on this. Good to see you, John. So, there's determination to keep talks going although Mitch McConnell doesn't seem to be very enthusiastic. How much pressure is coming from the American people to deliver something before election day?

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN BUSINESS EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, I think this is the change, Rosemary. It's a growing factor. I think it's a good sign that the 48-hour deadline has passed, and Speaker Pelosi and the Treasury Secretary Mnuchin are still talking, and it is -- November 3rd is the deadline. And you can see that voters are now saying we want to be involved. We want something on the table.

So, let's take a look at some of the most recent polls on this issue. Seven out of 10 think they want a comprehensive deal. And I thought this was an interesting twist as well, 56 percent of the Republicans are saying the same. So, what's on the table? 2.2 trillion from the House Democrats, the White House said it would go as high as 2 trillion, officially at 1.8. Senate Republicans are at a half a trillion dollars. It's the so-called skinny bill in the name of austerity. In opposition is Chuck Schumer the senator from New York. Let's take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): We can't have a deal that has virtually nothing. Even the one thing they say they might be for, which is some small business relieve. They leave out relief to restaurants, they leave out relieve to our independent venues, our stages. They leave out relief to nonprofits. They leave out relief to our rural hospitals, which definitely need help. So, they can't bring themselves to did anything. So, we're not even at the stage of talking compromise.

DEFTERIOS: But you can't talk compromise, Rosemary, because the gap is so wide. And there's another poll here suggesting that 72 percent of Americans want a comprehensive deal that is put forward in the House, and it passed at the end of June. The key points for them are the unemployment insurance benefits, of course. They are now around $300 on average. They would double to $600. And even as this controversial measure for the Republicans, and that is bailing out state and local governments. There's a lot of support out there for that. Now dear I say of course voters want handouts because it is a pandemic and they're suffering. At some point, probably in 2022 or 2023, no matter who is President, it will have to be paid back.

CHURCH: Yes, of course. John Defterios, many thanks for bringing us up to date on that situation. Appreciate it.

With a second wave of the coronavirus sweeping through Europe, several regions facing tougher restrictions. But not all local governments are on board. A look at the push back when we come back.

[04:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Ireland is now gearing up to begin its second nationwide lockdown in an attempt to regain control of the coronavirus. The country will move to the toughest level of restrictions and urge residents to stay home for the next six weeks. Parts of northern England will also face stricter coronavirus measures. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is forcing the Greater Manchester region into its tier three alert level after failed negotiations with city officials over financial aid.

For more CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is standing by in Manchester. But first let's go to Nic Robertson who joins me now from London. So, Nic, Ireland's six-week lockdown is an extreme solution. How necessary is this?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, the government's health advisors met in Ireland two weeks ago, went public saying the country was currently than on tier 3. And they said back then that the country should go to tier 5. Now that put a lot of pressure on the politicians, so Micheal Martin, the Taoiseach, the Prime Ministry if you will, addressed the nation saying that it was necessary now to follow the advice of the scientists. Telling people that only essential retail stores would be open. That

people could not congregate, not sort of mix households indoors or even in gardens. They could do it in public places. That the retail stores, only the essential stores could remain open. That people would have to limit their travel to within five kilometers, three miles of their homes. That that was the limit for their exercise as well. So, all of this, a very tough lockdown again. People being told that only essential workers could travel to work, everyone else, if they could, should work from home.

[04:45:00]

And the difficulty for people now is a real concern over livelihoods, particularly in the retail sector this is what a couple of store owners told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAY HOWLIN, CO-OWNER, "FUN PLACE": I would say devastated, to be honest. You know, I think it was flagged it was going to happen, but at the same time I was hoping that maybe common sense would prevail. Because, you know, from our point of view, we feel retail is a very safe environment.

JOHN FARRINGTON, OWNER, "JOHN FARRINGTON ANTIQUES": If you're strong enough, you can exercise. But there's a lot of people out there with a second shutdown would really, really find it hard to come through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: So, it's a real frustration among people in Ireland. On the one hand, across the -- that the scientists, the government advisers went public. There's a feeling that this conversation should have been had with the politicians behind closed doors. There're others that feel the government should have moved sooner rather than waiting two weeks for this lockdown.

You know, just to give you some perspective, nationally across Ireland the infection rate is about the sort of middle bracket for Europe, 269 per 100,000. But there are parts of Ireland where it's very high. You know, tipping levels that are not seen elsewhere in Europe, at about 900 per 100,000. So, there is a real sense of concern that the health services in the country could be stretched beyond capacity. They don't have the reserves that some other European countries have in Ireland.

CHURCH: Yes, I mean there are just limited options here. That's the problem, isn't it? And Salma, let's go to you now. And after talks broke down, Manchester faces strict measures. So, what comes next?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Well, Rosemary, it's really played out quite dramatically. Here over the last 10 days we've had this bitter political dispute between leaders here in Manchester and of course, officials in Downing Street over their plans to raise the coronavirus alert level of the city to tier 3 restrictions.

Essentially yesterday, Tuesday, the government basically said they're fed up with the talks, they're fed up with the bickering. They put down a noon deadline to either reach an agreement or they would act unilaterally to impose these restrictions. Of course, the deadline came and went, no agreement was made. The mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham says the reason why he's refused to implement these measures so far is because he's fighting for low paid workers. He says that the city needs a greater financial package to be able to deal with these restrictions. He's obviously not been able to reach that deal. Yet he is actually in front of the cameras at the moment he realized and got the news that the city would be forced starting this Friday, just past midnight local time, into tier 3 restrictions. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Boo, it's a disgrace.

MAYOR ANDY BURNHAM, GREATER MANCHESTER, ENGLAND: It's brutal to be honest. Isn't it? What -- this is no way -- this is no way to run the country in a national crisis. It isn't. This is not right. They should not be doing this, grinding people down, trying to accept the least that they can get away with. Twenty-two million pounds to fight the situation we are in is, frankly, disgraceful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Now you hear him mention that figure of 22 million. It was later made clear by the health secretary, Matt Hancock, that that figure actually being offered is 60 million pounds to the city from the government. Now the mayor has said that simply not enough for people to deal with the hardship under these restrictions.

But look, beyond Manchester, this sets a precedent for the country. This What is the strategy here? That's what people are asking of the individual city, town and region going to get to spend days negotiating potentially their own restrictions, their own measures, their own financial package while the virus spreads through the population. Is that what a regional strategy means?

And secondly, and perhaps most importantly, is the question of compliance. Now both the Prime Minister and the mayor of Greater Manchester have called on people to comply with these rules. But the question is if a city like Manchester feels like rules are being forced upon it by the central government, will people actually follow through -- Rosemary?

CHURCH: Yes, it is a difficult situation all around. Nic Robertson and Salma Abdelaziz, thank you to you both.

Well, a new app could help make airline travel during the pandemic safer and get more customers back on board. We'll have the details. Back in a moment.

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) Cathay Pacific Group is the latest airline company taking an economic

blow from the coronavirus pandemic. The company announced nearly 6,000 people will lose their jobs in an effort to cut costs. Most of the cut positions will come from the company's Hong Kong headquarters. Hundreds more jobs that had gone unfilled will also be eliminated.

Well, for the sake of the airline industry and for the joy of globetrotting, the world needs to get moving again even as the pandemic rages. There might be an app for that. It's called CommonPass. And it'll be tested on a trans-Atlantic flight landing in Newark, New Jersey, later today. CNN's Anna Stewart explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The world is a patchwork of travel restrictions. Closed borders, quarantines, pre-travel testing requirements, all of which keep changing.

(on camera): It's enough to put people off travel altogether, and that's damaging for the aviation sector, for tourism, for the whole global economy. However, one solution to travel could be the passport, not this kind but this, a digital health passport.

(voice-over): The app is be developed by the Commons Project Foundation, in partnership with the World Economic Forum. The concept is simple enough. A traveler checks the app to see what the COVID-19 rules are at their destination.

For example, it may require a PCR test 24 hours before travel. The app tells the traveler where they can get a government-approved COVID-19 test and upload that test result to the app.

[04:55:00]

If negative, the app generates a QR code confirming the traveler's compliance to be scanned by airline staff and border officials.

However, testing prior to travel has its limitations.

DANNY ALTMANN, IMMUNOLOGY PROFESSOR, IMPERIAL COLLEGE: At that moment, that person is safe to fly or migrate or whatever it is, because they were PCR negative, which is probably, you know, meaningless if they were about to turn PCR positive five minutes after you do the test.

STEWART: CommonPass says screening minimizes the risk and is already a requirement for entry into many countries. A trial of their app is underway for volunteer passengers flying with United Airlines and Cathay Pacific between London, New York, Hong Kong and Singapore.

If it goes well, CommonPass hopes more airlines and airports will use it in the future.

PAUL MEYER, CEO, THE COMMONS PROJECT: We've actually managed to convene over 50 countries that have come together, through dialog, that led up to CommonPass. Most of the world's biggest airlines, most of the world's biggest airports, and I think one of the realizations that they've come to through these sessions is this kind of system has to work in a globally operable way. It can't only work within one bubble, or with one travel corridor.

STEWART: If a COVID-19 vaccine is successfully developed, CommonPass hopes travelers will be able to log their vaccination into the app. Yes, there are concerns too little is known about vaccine efficacy.

ALTMANN: I wouldn't feel comfortable as a sort of minister of health to be, you know, stamping and sealing the legislation on the use of antibody passports on these places.

STEWART: Immunity passports are pie in the sky, at least for now. Helping people to take to the skies with an app that simplifies and coordinates COVID-19 travel restrictions, is at least on the horizon.

Ann Stewart, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And thanks for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. "EARLY START" is up next. Have a great day.

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