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New York City Mayor: We're Not Shutting Down All Our Schools; Donald Trump To Attend Senate Republican Briefing; Outbreak Disrupting Schools, Offices, Travel, Major Events; Sanders Hits Biden For Supporting Disastrous Trade Arguments; Biden & Sanders Face Off In Six States Today. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired March 10, 2020 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDET: So really, only people that really need to move for work are doing at this point, Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: And this is the hardest hit country in Europe with more than 9,000 people who have been infected by this so far. Delia, thank you so much. Thank you all for joining me today. "INSIDE POLITICS" with John King starts now.

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Thank you, Kate, welcome to INSIDE POLITICS. I'm John King. Thank you for sharing your day with us. Wall Street rallies big then retreats some as the Trump White House and Congress consider ways to cushion the economy from the Coronavirus crisis.

Plus, more schools closed and parades and big events cancelled. As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases here in the United States climbs to 735. Expect to jump in that number as more test kits are now available.

And Michigan is the biggest prize of six states weighing in on the now two-man race for 2020 Democratic Nomination. Super Tuesday is a giant test of Bernie Sanders' blue-collar appeal. Joe Biden sees a chance to open a daunting lead. He is also seeing voters not happy with his views on trades and guns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Folks, let him go. That's okay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Back to 2020 a bit later in the program. We begin though with the global alarm over the Coronavirus and the mounting number of cases here in the United States. Just moments ago the President convening healthcare executives at the White House saying his administration responds to the crisis is "Going very well".

An update just moment ago as well 735 confirmed infections across 36 states in the District of Columbia. The White House Task Force is making a concerted effort to prove it is on top of this. But the President himself again is ignoring what the experts say to suggest his own containment plan.

Proposing in a tweet this morning that his border wall should be a weapon in the Coronavirus fight that message once again disconnected from the situation on the ground. The virus is already here, spreading rapidly and is having a mushroom effect in communities large and small.

Harvard now among the colleges and universities telling students don't come back from spring break, Harvard moving classes online next semester. Chicago's schools closing after students there tested positive for the virus. The New York City the Mayor says he'll charge of a different course.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BILL DEBLASIO, (D) NEW YORK CITY: And we said even if God forbid we found a case in a school, we're not shutting down all our schools. We're not even shutting down that school long term. We're going to go in clean that school, isolate individuals who had that really direct contact and then get up and running.

We'll have a day where school is shut to get reset and get back up and running because people live livelihoods are at stake, Parents need a place for their kids. We can stay safe but keep our lives going our economy going.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: We'll see the President again later at this hour. He'll be on Capitol Hill he and his economic team briefing Republican lawmakers on the White House's solutions or at least propose solutions to ease the coming economic pain led by a payroll tax cut. Let's start with the White House with CNN's Kaitlan Collins. Kaitlan, the President in that meeting today trying to project he is in charge, his tweet this morning suggesting he's not always following the prescribed message.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No, he was not but he is certainly trying to put a public face on this. He was not scheduled to be at the meeting when the Vice President and those insurance companies today but he showed up. He's also wasn't scheduled to go to Capitol Hill with his two top economic aides but he is also going there as well.

We should note briefly that in that meeting just now the Vice President said that all health insurance companies that are represented here today have agreed to waive co-pays that are related to the Coronavirus. So that is certainly a development there.

But John the President is sending his two top aides to Capitol Hill, they're admitting that they have got to do something economically here and they have been concerned about that because so far for the last several weeks you have seen the White House reluctant to admit that the economy needed any help here essentially saying it was a strong economy and it can weather what it was going through.

The President has been resistance to kind of make any changes there beyond leading on the Federal Reserve to make rate cuts. But now he is admitting after you saw that day that have been in the stock market yesterday, that they have do have to something here.

So they're going to go the Capitol Hill. What they walk away with seems to be far from definitive though, a payroll tax cut is something that's on the schedule. Other on the table is other tax cuts as well. May be stimulus for certain industries, the airline industries, the cruse industries and hotels as well?

Of course, paid family sick leave is also something they have been discussing. What we are waiting to see is how lawmakers respond to those proposals. So far they have not committed to anything right now.

KING: Conversations just beginning. Kaitlan Collins live at the White House, I appreciate it. Let's go to White House straight up to Capitol Hill. CNN's Lauren Fox is there. Lauren, Kaitlan just said they're not sure what the - the White House is not sure what it can sell on Capitol Hill, take us inside the conversations up there.

[12:05:00]

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, essentially John when the President walking into that Republican lunch this afternoon he is going to be walking in to a very skeptical audience of Republicans. Last night Republicans the leadership members met for longer than usual they had a conversation with some of these objectives that are on the table from the White House.

And I will tell you that talking to members coming out of that meeting, there was a lot of skepticism. I just want to walk you through. Some of the concerns, John Cornyn quote "I think it is premature to do anything" in terms of an economic stimulus. You also heard from North Dakota's Kevin Creamer what I don't want to do is throw a bunch of money and just throw it on the street to stimulate spending.

That obviously a very strong statement from one of the President's closest ally you can sense that some of these objectives that the President wants to move forward, things like a pay roll tax holiday.

There is concern about the scale and scope of something like that. There are also concerns about doing something on mandatory sick leave. That's a key Democratic talking point. And something that Republicans aren't necessarily going to turn over and pass legislatively without getting something that they want in return. John.

KING: Lauren Fox up on the Hill we'll keep an eye as the President may be runs the holes a bit later. Lauren, appreciate that.

With me here in the studio to share their reporting and their insights Jackie Kucinich with "The Daily Beast' CNN's Jeff Zeleny Toluse Olorunnipa with "The Washington Post" and Jeanna Smialek with "The New York Times"

Jeanna, I just want to start with you the sense that the White House says may be a paid sick leave may be a payroll tax cuts may be a deferral on tax collection on some of these industries that are most effected and may be then some specific proposals to get more money out of small business who are struggling.

When you have the conversation with people who do the economy everyday what is the thing that the administration may be with the help of Congress could do immediately that would help or is this more of a crisis, let's do something to make it look like we're active?

JEANNA SMIALEK, FEDERAL RESERVE AND ECONOMIC REPORTER, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Right, I think most consistently what economists would tell you when you ask them what the White House ought to be doing here are focusing on containment. I think what we've have seen in most of the economies that have been really effected here is the ones that moved fast. The ones that got this under control early have a better chance that what an economist call a V shaped recovery.

You slow down fast but you recovery quickly. So South Korea is kind of the posed kind of all the people hold up. They've had a real effect from this virus but they also seem it got it under control very quickly.

The question is whether that is happening in the United States. And I think a lot of economists warned that it is not happening here.

KING: It is interesting in this political environment, it is election year, right? That's part of it you can't escape that even though you want to you would like to think, set the election aside deal with the Coronavirus.

Lauren went through some of this, listen to more, here are some - these are Republicans, allies of the President, the people the President needs to say yes, sir, we'll get it done raising some questions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TOM COTTON (R-AK): I think we need to look particularly at those people who don't have the luxury of telecommuting. What are we going to do for our mill workers, for factory workers for truck drivers, people who don't have the luxury sitting at their desk in their home and work? That's where I think we need to focus any economic relief on immediately.

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: We want to look at is there a surgical way that those who are hurt hourly wages and others. Is there an ability to help to keep the economy moving as strong as it is today?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: It is interesting when you hear Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, Kevin McCarthy Republican of California taking about hourly wages, truck drivers. They sound more like talking about the people the Democrats were talking trying to help right now. Not a sweeping pay roll tax cut, or not sweeping help to industries out there. JACKIE KUCINICH, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, THE DAILY BEAST: And that's going to be the rub here. I mean, I think the ghost of tar past is also going to be something that looms over this conversation, bailing out industries that might not needed as much as people who Tom Cotton and some of these politicians are speaking about.

The details of what the White House put forward is going to be critical as to what support they can cover together. I don't think a lot of lawmakers are going to stand for anything that they see as helping those who might not needed as much as you know your hourly wage workers.

KING: And the President in that meeting and I think yesterday as well mentioned the cruise industry about saying they need some help. Again let's be honest we're in an election year not that it is not a significant part of the economy anyway. But it is also a very significant part of the economy in Florida a state that is important to the President's politics you can't disconnect it other members of the Congress too not just the President.

If you look at the airlines industry Delta airlines says it's cutting back 10 to 15 percent of its domestic flights and American Airlines, 7.5 percent of its domestic flights. They have also slashed by even bigger numbers international flights.

There is no question that there is an economic impact out there. The question is to Jeanna's point, do you just let most company say okay we think we can do this quickly if we contain the virus and may be on the back end? Come back and help you or do you rush to help on the front end?

TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Well, right now these Republican lawmakers are going to have to follow President Trump's lead in part because they've spent the three years praising him over the economy saying that he has done what no other Presidents have been able to do.

And now they're going to have to follow his instincts because even if they don't agree, that he should be bailing out industries it is hard for them to break from him at this point. He's facing a re-elections and they spend all of this time sort of seeding ground on issues like trade, allowing him to move forward with tariffs and still backing him.

And now that he's pushing this ideology in terms of helping industry and trying to push a tax cut that they have been backed yet, it is clear that the President is going to have his Republican allies on board and so far they have not broken from him. And there is no sign that they're going to do now.

[12:10:00]

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: And I think it is one of the reasons he's going to Capitol Hill. This morning he was not scheduled to go to Capitol Hill. He was watching television this morning. He probably saw the Tom Cotton's interview and et cetera. We have not seen the Republicans in the Senate or the House saying no Mr. President we are not going do this very often.

Some was not in their lexicon. So we'll see what they're saying after he has his lunch with Senate Republicans. But the reality here is you talk to economists and others, the only thing that's going to stimulate spending is containment. As Jeanna was saying I mean, you can inject all the money you want into trying a prop up industries.

But if people are staying home not going to large scale events. They are not going to be injecting money into the economy. So all of this might sounds good but that is not the underlying factor.

KING: And you also see again just in the last hour or last few hours the mixed messages of the administration makes perfect sense sends a strong signal. You call in the health insurance companies you bring them into the cabinet room and you get them to publicly say on the record.

We're going to make sure people will get tests we're going to make sure affordability is not an issue here. Now those companies on the record very important are smart for the White House to do that. If you need a test you can get it, if you're on Medicare we will help you.

We're going to try to get tested in your home. We're not going to not make affordability an issue. Powerful political moment for the White House to get those people around the table and yet this morning the President tweeting let's build the border wall.

We need it more now than ever because of the Coronavirus and tweeting also our pathetic slow moving Federal Reserve headed by Jay Powell, who raised rates too fast and lower too late should get our Fed rate down to levels of our competitive nations.

He goes on and on talking about stimulus. Does the Federal Reserve have any weapons left here or is the President as always say misguided in deciding you know the border wall or Jerome Powell can help?

SMIALEK: The Federal Reserve absolutely has a little bit of room left to maneuver. However it's worth noting that what tools they do have at their disposal or not super well targeted to dealing with broken supply chains, quarantine workers. The problem is that you're seeing with the Coronavirus.

They do have interest rates are around one percent now and they can cut them four more times, so far regular rate cuts are two more of the big kind of rate cuts that we saw last week. After that they really do have limited ability to stimulate this economy inside from sort of crisis style programs. And so I think the question is you know at what point in time does fiscal policy comes in here?

KING: And so the fiscal policy and the President's role in the sense that they just did pass by a huge bipartisan vote the first emergency reaction which is mostly about ramping up the public health community ramping up testing ramping up research on a vaccine.

The President submitted a modest proposal and Congress went way above him. In the past we have seen Mitch McConnell and others tell the President just leave this to us the President going up there today what does that tell us?

KUCINICH: Well, he knows to use his juice to get what he wants through the Congress. That's what that indicates to me. This won't be the first White House to try to use the crisis to forward there some of the things that they want on their agenda.

However you throw a border wall into this you are almost sure that they're going to scramble any kind of response and cause delays. And right now time is not on their side. Something needs - as you all have been talking about containment and the speed does matter in the situation.

KING: And he needs they need Democratic House and Republicans White House, Republican Senate if they're going to do something together they need to come together. We shall see. Mark me down as a tad skeptical but they surprise us with the emergency response.

Up next, the six states faceoff between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders including the delegate rich State of Michigan. And as we take a break look here live pictures, St. Louis, Missouri people are voting, we like that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:15:00]

KING: Today is Super Tuesday II. The first test of voter sentiment now that the Democratic Race is essentially a two men battle between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Six states are weighing in today plus it's the deadline for Democrats abroad to cast a primary ballot.

365 delegates at stake overall and in a moment we'll take a look when the math in this race is critical. You look at the states that are voted so far, you see a lot of Biden blue 10 or 14 on Super Tuesday. Biden with a Delegate lead right now, of the six states up today you have Washington you have Idaho you have North Dakota and Missouri, Mississippi the biggest prize in all in terms of delegates is Michigan.

Let's choose Michigan as an example of some of the things we'll look for tonight. I am going to go back to the 2016 map here. Bernie Sanders stunted Hillary Clinton here. Kept his campaign going proved his blue color appeal, proved some of her weaknesses with working class men.

So what do we looking for tonight. If you look at this map it was really close in Michigan. What is key for Joe Biden? Wayne County that's where you have Detroit the African-American turnout is at big and is it has it has been in the south overwhelming for Biden.

Then you come up to Macomb County, this is blue collar county, a lot of auto industry here. Look how close it is was again back in 2016. Joe Biden wants to prove he can win these blue color workers. Bernie Sanders says no sir that is my wheel house. Macomb will be key tonight it will also be key in November no matter who the Democrats nominate. Then Joe Biden has done very well in Super Tuesday states in the suburbs. Over here Oakland County. Does he do better in the more affluent more white suburbs tonight too? Can he put together the African-American vote with the suburban vote as he has on Super Tuesday states in Super Tuesday states to get a gain?

That's one thing we're watching out in Michigan. Here is what the big thing is about tonight it is about delegate math. I want to just go quickly through a quick scenario. Here is where we ended February. After first four contests Bernie Sanders with a slight lead over Joe Biden. This is where we are right now after the Super Tuesday surprise Joe Biden takes a lead in the delegates.

So let's just look at a couple of scenarios tonight. If Joe Biden with a big win in Mississippi a win Missouri break even, may be win a little bigger in Michigan something like that; let's assume Joe Biden with 60 percent of the delegates tonight. Bernie Sanders gets 40 percent.

Now we are in a two-way race the delegates split more. If Biden to get 60 percent look at the lead he could start to open up might not seem like a lot 150 you start to stretch it out like that because of the Democratic rules it gets very difficult.

[12:20:00]

KING: In a 60-40, Biden would stretch out his lead and feel very confident that this race was all but over. But let's take a look at another scenario, what if it is Bernie Sanders who could get 60 percent of the delegates tonight? Surprises again in Michigan, winning big in Washington state.

Well, he would pull into an essentially a tie, slightly ahead of Joe Biden as we go forward. So the delegate math tonight is critical which why Joe Bien trying to go into you might call it Bernie Sanders backyard. Blue collar autoworkers saying I am your guy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You guys gave up more than anybody else.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You make me a hero when I was getting a lot of heat. Here is a deal. Give us a chance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Tarini Parti with "The Wall Street Journal" joins our conversation. That's a picture any candidate wants. He's on the factory floor. You have the workers attention, they hand you a ball horn. Joe Biden trying to say this has been this is where Bernie Sanders in 2016 exposed to Clinton's weakness, blue collar men especially. Joe Biden trying to say come my way.

TARINI PARTI, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: And we saw you know a glimpse of Clinton's potential weakness during the primary that ended being a problem for her. She ended up losing Wisconsin and Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Now you're seeing Joe Biden kind of make the case that this is his strong suit that he can win only these voters in a primary but also in General Election against Trump. We are also seeing Bernie Sanders make that case. He's been trying to say that he can not only bring those voters out but also increase turn out overall.

But unfortunately we have not seen for his campaign we haven't really seen that happen, we have seen that from Joe Biden's campaign where he has brought in suburban voters and African-Americans and now he is also obviously making the case he can also bring in these workers who in the auto industry in Michigan.

KING: And Sanders just watch this happened and he understands there was poll yesterday that showed Joe Biden with a big lead in Michigan. I just want to say Hillary Clinton also had a big lead in the late polls in Michigan.

So be careful here. But Bernie Sanders last night on CNN talking to our colleague Chris Cuomo, he sees what Joe Biden is doing and he understands the math. If Biden can win Michigan, and he wins Mississippi then the delegate thing I just showed can start to stretch out.

Bernie Sanders saying the guy who has the support of Michael Bloomberg the guy who is raising money on Wall Street is not the guy for the factory floor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDERS: I think that the working class here in Michigan and throughout this country understands that in Joe Biden you have a candidate who's being supported by Wall Street, who's being supported by at least 60 billionaires are somebody who voted for disaster trade agreement like NAFTA and PNTR which caused real serious problems. Our campaign is the campaign that can bring young people into the political process. They can speak to working class people. Some of whom voted for Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Tonight is testing time for that in the sense that so far Tarini made this point so far Sanders has not brought out young voters in higher numbers in fact everywhere but Iowa. Huge turnout is down deselecting. Michigan tonight will be a test of the blue collar. That's where he stunted us in 2016 and proved his viability against Clinton but we're in a different campaign now.

KUCINICH: Exactly, Joe Biden is not Hillary Clinton and he does have the auto bail out as he was talking about on the factory floor to the NAFTA attack that Bernie Sanders is throwing at him. You also can't under estimate the importance of African-American community in Michigan.

I remember back months and months ago I had pastor reverend talking to me about their support for Joe Biden, there are some deep roots there and they're going to come out for him. Hillary Clinton did have some of that with black women. However when you add it altogether Joe Biden seems to be having much stronger footing in Michigan than even Hillary Clinton did going in.

KING: But which is why tonight Jeff is so fascinating in the sense that if you go back to these states four years ago. Let's just show you here, Michigan, 120 delegates it is the biggest prize tonight by far. Sanders stunt Hillary Clinton narrow win but a win and he stunned her. Missouri Clinton won the state but it was really close.

Joe Biden is hoping to have more Democrats and also African-American vote in St. Louis, he's hoping in the suburbs, I will show you more of this later. Mississippi, Joe Biden has won across the south by big numbers. He's hoping to run it up there. These out west North Dakota Idaho and Washington Sanders carried them all of them four years ago.

The rules are different this time. You don't have pure caucuses anymore even though Washington State is a main in primary. The issue is that Sanders has to fill in this map tonight with some Sanders blue or else Biden is going to start to pull away.

ZELENY: No question, I mean this is not the final opportunity for the Sanders campaign to make their argument, but certainly one of the best one. If not here, where will he do it? Coming up a calendar is not friendly for him Ohio a win away for Sanders I mean.

But one big difference from all of 2016 is President Donald Trump. He was not a factor in the 2016 campaign there was a lot of anti-Hillary Clinton vote that I think Bernie Sanders and some others interpreted as pro Sanders vote.

[12:25:00]

ZELENY: So a couple of things are happening there. After talking to a lot of people on the ground for the last three days, one I think Joe Biden is very lucky that Michael Bloomberg is not in the race and Elizabeth Warren is not in the campaign. He was at a rally with Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, that's going to help drive African-American turnout which is what he needs.

Bu the biggest thing is Democrats ready for this primary to essentially be over and look to the General Election or they not? Will find that out this evening but I get the sense even talking to people at Bernie Sanders' rallies, they're maybe a little bit time for this to move along.

We'll see. But that's what tonight will show us. If Democrats are not ready for it to move on then we'll find out tonight as well. It is my sense that they may be.

KING: Well, that's an interesting point because you know Sanders see sergeant essentially even though he ran last time he presents himself as the outside of the sergeant here he needs to make it his mark tonight to prove that this is like 2016.

One of the things you see, a, you are the front runner people start to show up getting to your face a little bit and b, Michigan going back to Ronald Reagan this is why you have the term Reagan Democrats. You had white factory workers mostly white men who own guns who think the Democrats are going to take them away and Joe Biden today having one of those moments.

Joe Biden is defending his position on gun control saying the gentleman on the floor is exaggerating. That he is not coming to take away their guns. But he has called - he said he is full off and then he called him a horses its noon, or its 9 clock out in California. I am not going to fill in the blanks there. Again some people see that as charming a candidate is willing to air it out face-to-face with a guy. Oh, you can choose different words.

OLORUNNIPA: Biden has had a few of these interactions with voters over the course of the primary campaign or he has sort of used some language that's a little questionable but I think for his campaign they pushed it out and said this shows Biden's authenticity. The normal part of the Biden approach to politics.

It is really interesting to see some of these unscripted moments where he's having them with voters versus what it has become very scripted campaign style stump speech where Biden is speaking shorter he is not spending as much time on the campaign trail in terms of getting public speeches in part because they know that every time he makes a stumble and every time he does something that his opponent are going to use that to say Biden is making another gaffe. So it is really interesting to see the dichotomy between his stump speech and some of these interactions with voters which become much raw and unscripted.

KUCINICH: No I don't think that hurts Joe Biden. I mean, his campaign isn't treating it that way. That shows them pushing back on the issues - that is a signature issue.

OLORUNNIPA: Coming out of Biden anyway there.

KUCINICH: Right seriously.

ZELENY: Did not appear to be Sanders when either.

KING: Did not appear to be Sanders are Biden voter. We'll come back to the race a little bit later. A quick reminder you can follow all live results right here on CNN Special Live Coverage starts at 4:00 pm eastern I'll be on much of the night. Jackie will be on much of the morning I just found out. Up next Capitol Hill confronts how to handle the Coronavirus.

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