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New York Public Schools Move Virtual; Trump Continues Attempts to Meddle in Election Results. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired November 19, 2020 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Just a heads-up for all of you. Any minute now, we will hear from president-elect Joe Biden and vice president- elect Kamala Harris.

The focus of their remarks will be how to beat the pandemic that this current president has clearly fully surrendered to.

I don't have to tell you. You see all of this. Cases are surging. Hospitalizations are at record levels; 250,000 Americans have died. And, according to the administration's own testing czar, the worst is still ahead.

But, despite all of this, the president of the United States continues to put his ego ahead of every single one of us, refusing to work with the Biden team, actively hindering their attempt at a transition.

Trump's own health secretary has even ordered his team to not work with the incoming administration. And simply put, that means lifesaving vaccines might not reach the most vulnerable in a timely manner. More Americans will die, all because the president lost this election.

Next hour, we expect an update from the Coronavirus Task Force. We don't know if the president will show up. But after 1,800 Americans died just yesterday, wouldn't it be nice if he did? No, check that. It wouldn't be nice. It would be his job.

Could the president himself assure us of the next steps for vaccine dissemination? Could the president himself express sympathy for the quarter-of-a-million people who have died from this virus? Could the president himself encourage families to keep their Thanksgiving gatherings small next week?

I wish I could tell you. We don't know what the president is doing with his time, with your taxpayer funded time. But we do know this. It is despicable. He is still launching desperate attempts to claim he won this, election lawsuits and accusations that are so sad and hollow that he doesn't even show up to his own press conference today.

If he doesn't do that, who does he send? Well, who else? Rudy Giuliani. But who are we kidding? This was no press conference. There was nothing truthful, nor informative, nor valid about anything this man said today at the microphone.

It was a regurgitation of lawsuits that judges have already dismissed, allegations that plaintiffs have withdrawn, and claims that continue to crumble in court.

But let's be clear about this. This is an act, the theatrics, the echo chamber on Trump's favorite TV channels, echo chamber perpetrating a conspiracy theory that millions of Americans are listening to. The conspiracy theories are all being done to delay the inevitable, to obstruct the president-elect from his lawful access to a transition and to hurt the Biden presidency before he takes office.

So, let's start there with Kaitlan Collins. She's live at the White House forest.

And, Kaitlan, the president is actively obstructing the president- elect. Rudy Giuliani is one piece of that. That isn't just a sideshow. It's quite dangerous.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

And that's the president's legal team, who came out, made all these baseless allegations about voter fraud, even though, in court this week, Rudy Giuliani told a judge that he was not alleging fraud, just -- that fraud happened, just that there was a fraudulent process.

And that's not what he said today, as he was again alleging fraud in Pennsylvania, but declining to offer any evidence, as you saw attorney after attorney come out and try to make these sometimes wild accusations about what's happened in the voting process.

But, Brooke, to be clear here, when you watch Rudy Giuliani at that press conference, and his hair dye is dripping down the side of his face, and you're seeing these other attorneys talk about Hugo Chavez and making all these claims, it's easy to kind of laugh it off and see it as silly, but, really, what the president is trying to do behind the scenes, even though we have not seen him lately, is, he is trying to subvert this election process, because they have moved on from all these court losses that they have suffered to now saying that the recounts in places like Georgia did not work in their favor.

So, now you're seeing the president take this extraordinary move of inviting Republican Michigan state lawmakers to the White House tomorrow, though it's not clear what he's going to say to them or how many of them are coming to the White House.

But it comes after the president obviously called that Republican official, that election official in Michigan earlier this week after she attempted with one other person to not certify the results of the election in Wayne County, obviously, a Democratic stronghold in Michigan.

After, of course, there was a ton of backlash, where people were saying it was racism, saying that they were trying to throw out legal votes by not certifying that process, they reversed, of course, facing that major backlash. But the president called Monica, this election official, this canvassing official. And after that call, she is now trying to rescind her vote to certify the results. That's a big deal. And, legally, we're told it has no standing. But that is something that she's trying to do.

The Trump campaign is trying to argue that the results have not been certified in Michigan, though they have. And so you're really seeing this process move from all of these allegations the president was making to now trying to affect what is happening with the Electoral College and these certifications of the vote results, because that really seems to be their last-ditch effort, as the president is trying to drag this process out.

[15:05:13]

And it's just stunning to watch, Brooke. And I know, every single day, the headline has been that the president is delaying Joe Biden's transition into the White House, he's not accepting the outcome of the election, but he is actively trying to disrupt the outcome of the election with these actions that he's taking now.

BALDWIN: Well, two things.

Number one, I have got the Michigan secretary of state coming up in a little bit. So I have got a lot of questions for her. And, just number two, on a very simple level, the fact that Americans may not be able to get lifesaving vaccines as a result of this lack of transition is going to cost lives. And we're going to talk to a doctor about that in a second.

Back to Rudy Giuliani, though, Kaitlan, because, yes, he was standing there, but it's also noteworthy who was not standing there, who was not present today, the attorneys who surrounded Trump during the Mueller days, the Mueller investigation.

What is Rudy Giuliani even doing right now?

COLLINS: Well, Rudy Giuliani is the one leading these efforts.

And you have seen how the president has changed legal teams in certain states. In Pennsylvania, you saw he was on his third set of attorneys by the time they actually got to court and were arguing that case this week.

That's why Rudy Giuliani was there talking about fraud.

But you're right. Look at the legal team who's representing the president. The ones that were there today, you have got Rudy Giuliani, who, of course, Republicans criticized heavily and the former chief of staff questioned why he's even there.

You have got Jenna Ellis, this other legal adviser who's been advising the president and the Trump campaign, who our KFILE reported yesterday she trashed the president just a few years ago, saying that he -- his values were not American values and calling him things like an idiot. And then you have got Sidney Powell, who was Mike Flynn's -- or

currently still is Mike Flynn's attorney. So, that's the trio that is making these results. And, as Mick Mulvaney was saying yesterday, if they really thought they had a case, you would be using election attorneys on this to focus on this and take this to court, kind of similar to like what you saw at the Florida recount in 2000.

That's not what we're seeing here, Brooke. Instead, this is providing them an opportunity to come out. And the question is, it's not just the president dragging this out before he accepts the inevitable. You're seeing Republicans actually humor these efforts by the president to delay the outcome of the election.

And, in turn, it is actually convincing the president's supporters that this election was not legitimate, when, of course, we know it was.

BALDWIN: Let's see how all that affects those two Senate run-off races in Georgia.

Kaitlan Collins, thank you so much for all of that from the White House.

Let's talk team Biden, where the president-elect issued this warning:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: There's a whole lot of things that are just -- we just don't have available to us, which, unless it's made available soon, we're going to be behind by weeks or months being able to put together the whole initiative relating to the biggest promise we have with two drug companies coming along and finding 95 percent effectiveness, efficiency in the vaccines, which is an enormous promise.

So, I just want to tell you that that's the only slowdown right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let's go to Wilmington to Jeff Zeleny, who's standing by.

And we know the president-elect is slated to speak in a moment now. But, Jeff, despite the president totally rejecting reality, CNN has learned that current and former Trump officials are reaching out behind the scenes with help in the transition?

Tell me about that.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, a few of them are.

We have heard really stories of this across the government from different agencies, that career officials and former Trump political appointees have reached out in some small ways to Biden transition officials. This does not take the place of a transition. They can't officially share information, but we're told they're doing as much as they can do at this point, that they believe that country over party is the important way to go here.

But we are seeing what the president-elect is doing right now, and he is really trying to move beyond all of this and keep moving, keep trying to show he is on the job.

And the way he's doing that this afternoon is meeting with governors, five Republican governors and four Democratic governors. They make up the Executive Council of the National Governors Association.

And we saw this meeting. This is really the first bipartisan meeting we have seen since the election of Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris making their appeals, basically, basically opening their doors to these governors, saying, how can we help you?

Listen to what president-elect Biden told governors just a few minutes ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: And I want you to know that I will be your partner in the White House. I don't see this -- and I mean this from the bottom of my heart -- I don't see this as a red state issue or a blue state issue.

I see this, we're all in this together. I mean this. We both want to work with you. We want to work with you and the Congress on a bipartisan basis to make sure you get the resources you need, from PPE, to vaccines, to the -- to express -- be able to expense your National Guard, continue to be able to do that.

[15:10:04]

And we're all going to pull together. And I'm confident we can beat this virus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So, in two' months time, it will be president-elect Joe Biden working with these governors there, Republicans and Democrats alike.

So, a significant meeting here, Brooke, as we incrementally move forward to the reality of this transition -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Jeff, thank you.

I want to bring in Dr. Atul Gawande. He is a member of president-elect Biden's COVID transition task force.

So, Dr. Gawande, thank you so much for being on with me.

And just tell me, out of the gate here, when we talk about Trump's obstruction, how many American lives might that cost?

DR. ATUL GAWANDE, BIDEN CORONAVIRUS ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER: There -- has consequences.

I can't put a number on it, because we don't know how long this will go on. But if you see this continue for very -- more than just a couple of weeks already, what we know is, we don't have a handle on what are the current supply status of the stockpiles? Will there be enough syringes? Will there be enough vaccinators?

What are the plans? I have -- we have been in touch with state public health officials. They tell us that there they're -- they have not had adequate guidance to begin deploying what might have to start rolling out in two to three weeks.

We know there will be shortages and that -- and we need to understand, what's -- what are the gaps, and how do we have a smooth transition, so we can make this move as fast as possible?

BALDWIN: So, let's just make this crystal clear. And you help me understand.

If, in fact, there is a vaccine that hopefully is rolled out in the near future, at the state level, those who will be distributing the vaccine, just point blank, will not be ready, because of what's happening, or lack thereof, from this administration, so just so I'm fully wrapping my head around this.

And then what are you and other members of the Biden team doing so that those vaccines aren't delayed?

GAWANDE: Yes, so a few things to point out.

For example, the recommendations from the CDC alone is that there's about $6 billion in costs that the states will incur to carry out distribution, hire vaccinators, do all of the things associated with the rollout. And there hasn't been anything like that allocated. It's been around $300 million available by the end of the year.

Second, there's only going to be 10 to 20 million people who can be vaccinated in the first month or six weeks or so, assuming the supplies get there. What are the priority groups? We presume they will be first responders, hospital workers, and nursing home residents

But it still has to be -- there aren't enough to cover even that group. So who is first? And what are the ground rules for making it crystal clear and transparent, so everybody feels it's fair and it's getting to the most vulnerable populations?

And then you have, where are the shortages in supplies? The original aim of Operation Warp Speed was 300 million doses by the end of the year. It looks like it's going to be closer to 20, 25 million. Why? What were the shortages? What are the gaps? And how do we take over in such a way that we can help dramatically escalate that as rapidly as possible?

Those are real consequences.

BALDWIN: Quickly, Dr. Gawande, what would you want to say to the president?

GAWANDE: To the current president, I would just say, whatever is happening in the court proceedings, that there is an apparent winner, and it is OK to move ahead with allowing the planning to happen. Let the rest of the process happen.

But from the transition, from a doctor and a scientist point of view, I know the doctors, I know the scientists, and I know the planners in the administration want to connect the dots, so that nothing terrible happens to the country and this process in moving as fast as we can.

This is preventing that from happening.

BALDWIN: Dr. Atul Gawande, thank you for all that you're doing and hopefully will be able to do when and if this administration assists you.

Thank you.

GAWANDE: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Coming up here on CNN: The CDC is now telling Americans to avoid any travel for Thanksgiving.

Plus, any moment now, the state of Georgia is set to release the results of a hand recount that officials say will affirm Joe Biden's historic win in that state.

And President Trump's new attempt to meddle in the election, listen to this, inviting Republican state lawmakers from the battleground state of Michigan to the White House, as he seeks to overturn the will of the American voters.

You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

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[15:19:07]

BALDWIN: We're back. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Any minute now, we will hear from president-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris. They will be making remarks on how to beat the pandemic that the current president is ignoring.

Meanwhile, hospitals are overflowing, schools are shutting down. It has gotten so dire, the CDC is now telling Americans, stay home next week. Do not travel for the holiday.

CNN's Nick Watt reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Classrooms closed in New York City this morning. Bars, indoor, dining gyms will likely follow.

BILL DE BLASIO (D), MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY, NY: It's just a matter of time. It's very likely to be in the next week or two.

WATT: Starting Monday, every K-12 school in Kentucky will also be online only.

GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D-KY): When addressing COVID-19, action is unpopular, but inaction is deadly.

WATT: Schools are emptying. Hospitals are filling up, now nearly 80,000 COVID patients nationwide, never been higher. Still...

[15:20:09]

DR. AUSTIN SIMONSON, SANFORD MEDICAL CENTER: I have family members that deny it exists. And it's hard to have that conversation with them.

WATT: More than a quarter-million people have now been killed by COVID in this country. That's a fact. So is this.

ADM. BRETT GIROIR, U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: The end of the pandemic is in sight with the vaccines. That being said, this will get worse.

WATT: Tens, maybe hundreds of thousands more might die. But if we all mask up and maintain distance:

DR. RICHARD BESSER, FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: We could save tens of thousands of lives by doing that.

WATT: And next week, the CDC is now advising against Thanksgiving travel, and celebrate very small.

BESSER: My parents live here in town. They live about a mile from my house. They're both 90. They're not coming for Thanksgiving.

WATT: Maybe 20 million vulnerable Americans might now get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine in the next few months, and AstraZeneca just announced its candidate appears to generate a strong response in the over-70s.

The chances of surviving COVID have also climbed. Treatment has improved. But the U.S. is now adding, on average, over 160,000 new cases a day. So, hospitals will fill up. The death toll will rise. It's simple math.

DR. NATHAN HATTON, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH MEDICAL HOSPITAL: Every day you walk into work, someone is super sick, someone is potentially dying that day, having those family meetings.

And then, even as I was driving home last night, I drove by one of our parks, and there's ongoing practices for some sporting events.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATT: So, for some, the virus is very serious, for others, apparently not at all.

Now, within the hour, 4:00 p.m. Eastern, we expect to have a briefing from the White House Coronavirus Task Force. They haven't held one in more than four months. Going to be interesting. Will the president show up? Or is he preoccupied with his frivolous claims of voter fraud?

Also, what's the plan? This administration has another 61 days in power. And, right now, this virus is running riot across America -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Wouldn't it be nice for him to shut up and do his job?

Nick Watt, thank you.

You mentioned New York City. Let's talk about that.

New York City public schools are closed today and for the foreseeable future, as COVID-19 infection rates rise again. But yesterday's sudden announcement has left millions of families scrambling and wondering, what happens next?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The teachers have given us a whole lot of preparatory material. They're sending home all the textbooks in the backpack.

So, I guess we're ready. But we're not really ready.

JENNIFER TUTTLE, PARENT: If we just use the hard-and-fast, again, like, a light switch off, I wonder if we will be back before 2021.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let's go straight to Eliza Shapiro. She covers education for "The New York Times."

And, Eliza, I know you are in touch with tons of parents. They were left scrambling. What are you hearing from them as they were forced to make last-minute plans with the kids?

ELIZA SHAPIRO, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Yes, I mean, there is a lot of frustration.

For days and days now, we have been wondering, when are they going to close the schools? It kind of seemed like it was inevitable, but we woke up every morning saying, is today going to be the day? And 300,000 parents who have their kids back in school are doing the same, thousands of teachers, principals, support staff.

And I think there's just a lot of frustration about the short notice. This is the nation's largest school system. And it's really, really hard to make plans on the fly.

And, of course, teachers now have to kind of go back to the drawing board, some of them, and say, all right, let's go do this remote thing again.

BALDWIN: Yet the private schools remain open in the city. So, for those who can afford to send their children to private school five days a week, that's all right for now.

Again, as we have been covering COVID, and how it's disproportionately affecting underprivileged communities, this is another example of the haves and the have-nots.

SHAPIRO: Yes, absolutely.

And we are seeing this, by the way, not just in New York City, where there are many $50,000-a-year-plus private schools that are open, while the public schools are closed. But we're seeing this all over the country, where there's sort of two sets of rules for the two different types of schools.

We're seeing this, I know, in California and other states, where, basically, paying private school tuition means that you may actually have a semi-normal, not totally normal, but semi-normal education, where there are so, so many kids in the country who haven't seen the inside of a classroom since March.

BALDWIN: I just am also sitting here wondering, what are the long- term ramifications of kids not being in physical classrooms? That's a whole other conversation.

You and I will continue this another day, I am sure.

Eliza Shapiro, for now, thank you so much. Great to have you on and all your reporting with "The Times."

SHAPIRO: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Our other breaking news today: President Trump's losing fight to overturn the will of millions of American voters continues, this time inviting Republican state lawmakers from Michigan to the White House, as he continues to make these baseless claims about his election loss.

[15:25:12]

We will talk live to the Michigan secretary of state.

Also, we are waiting to hear from the president-elect and the vice president-elect on their plans to fight this pandemic.

You're watching CNN. We will be right back.

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[15:30:00]