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CNN Live Event/Special

Coronavirus Pandemic Rages Across U.S. On Election Day; Polls Open Soon In Critical Battleground Pennsylvania. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired November 03, 2020 - 05:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:31:19]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Overnight, more than 84,000 new coronavirus cases were reported. That's the fourth-highest single day since the pandemic began. Thirteen states reporting record hospitalizations. In the last month, the number of Americans hospitalized has soared more than 50 percent.

Joining us now is CNN political commentator, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. He's an epidemiologist and Detroit's former health director.

Dr. El-Sayed, the numbers don't lie -- they tell a clear story. And, Dr. Deborah Birx, who is the coordinator of the White House Task Force, has now somewhat publicly split from the White House public messaging on the coronavirus.

"The Washington Post" reports overnight that she put together a memo that's been circulating that says, "We are entering the most concerning and most deadly phase of this pandemic, leading to increased mortality. This is not about lockdowns. It hasn't been about lockdowns since March or April. It's about an aggressive balanced approach that is not being implemented."

The calls coming from inside the house, Dr. El-Sayed.

DR. ABDUL EL-SAYED, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, EPIDEMIOLOGIST, PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERT: That's right, John. Unfortunately, the numbers don't lie. We have been now in a surge for at least the past two weeks. Cases are skyrocketing.

And I want folks to appreciate that this is a different kind of surge than the first surge that we experienced back in the spring. There, the virus was mainly relegated to large cities with very good hospital infrastructure.

Now, the virus is everywhere and for that reason, it's hitting rural communities and suburban communities, and urban communities alike and you're seeing hospitals fill up, particularly in those rural and suburban communities that may not have the same quality hospital infrastructure as a city like New York or Seattle.

And so the time that it's going to take to overflow some of those smaller rural hospitals that are already facing shutdowns in normal circumstances means that that hospitalization rate and potentially, death rate could go sky high. And so, it is really critical that we pay attention to what's happening here.

I'm really glad that Dr. Birx is saying what she said because it is the truth. It's the truth that the scientific consensus and the public health consensus has been talking about for the past two weeks at least.

We need leadership and we're not getting it from a president right now who is too busy holding superspreader events all over the hot zone of this outbreak rather than actually taking on leadership to take this down.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: As you know, President Trump has often said that the only reason there are more cases is because there's more testing. And, Dr. Deborah Birx shot that down in this. She also said no, testing is actually flat or declining. So it's not about more testing. We actually are seeing more cases, as you know, doctor.

And so what are people supposed to do today? What -- how will they stay safe when they really want to go out and be in a crowd for hours and vote?

EL-SAYED: Well, that's right, Alisyn. Saying that there's more cases because there's more testing is like saying that there is more feces because there's more toilets. No -- you just really want to have a toilet to catch it if it's there, just like you really want to have a test to catch it if it's there.

So look, voting day is today. Everybody ought to go out and vote. The CDC just published new guidelines about how to do so safely.

Whether you're in quarantine for COVID-19 or you're not, it's the same recommendations. Wear a mask, stay six feet away from other people, wear gloves, or bring hand sanitizer and use it often. Bring your own black pen so that you don't have to use anyone else's supplies. And just be really, really careful about how you're interacting and how you're engaging.

And if you are in quarantine, make sure you tell a poll worker that you are in quarantine and that you'd like to stay away from other folks as you're waiting your turn to vote.

But, everybody's got to vote -- it's your civic duty -- but stay safe. And everybody ought to be following these obvious public health recommendations because we are in the midst of the worst surge of this pandemic that we have had yet and we've got to start acting like it.

[05:35:03]

BERMAN: Yes, keep your distance, wear your mask. And, Dr. El-Sayed, you win the best metaphor alert for all of 2020. To one extent --

CAMEROTA: Congratulations.

BERMAN: Right, the election's already over --

EL-SAYED: Thank you.

BERMAN: -- and you have won. But thank you for being with us today. I really appreciate it.

CAMEROTA: Thank you.

EL-SAYED: Thank you, John.

BERMAN: All right.

Polls open soon -- we're talking like 25 minutes -- in some of the biggest battleground states. Joe Biden will be in Pennsylvania today. CNN is live in Pittsburgh, next.

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[05:40:13]

CAMEROTA: You're not imagining it, it's really here. It is Election Day in America and one very important state to watch is Pennsylvania. Polls open there in a little more than an hour.

And CNN's Alexandra Field is live in Wexford, Pennsylvania with more. What's happening there, Alex?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, good morning, Alisyn.

Look, we all know there is a scenario where it all comes down to Pennsylvania. But even putting that aside, we know that these 20 electoral votes that the Keystone State has to offer are critical to both campaigns in their path to 270.

That's why we've seen President Donald Trump holding a series of rallies here in recent days, visiting the parts of the state that are most friendly to him, trying to drum up enthusiasm among his supporters. He desperately wants to hold onto a state that he flipped back in 2016 with less than one percent of the electorate -- just 44,000 votes.

The Biden campaign also keeping their eyes on this very big prize. Don't forget, former vice president Joe Biden launched his campaign in Pennsylvania. He also wraps it up in Pennsylvania with big events yesterday in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. He will be back in Philadelphia and Scranton today.

While on the trail in Pennsylvania, he has tried to play up his Scranton roots, working to appeal to those union households that flipped to President Trump back in 2016. Pennsylvania, of course, a critical part of that so-called blue wall that Democrats are trying to rebuild.

What is really interesting about Pennsylvania, Alisyn, is the fact that 2.4 million mail-in ballots have been cast. That sounds like a big number but it is less than 40 percent of the total 2016 electorate. That means there is a whole lot of voting that is going to happen today.

We are in Allegheny County. That's the home of Pittsburgh. It was the one spot of blue in a sea of red in western Pennsylvania in 2016. But I'm in Franklin Park, a neighborhood just north of the city, an area that actually went to Trump in 2016.

So very soon when those polls open we're going to start seeing who exactly is showing up to vote today and just how much enthusiasm there really is -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: That will be so enlightening. Thank you, Alex. We will check back.

All right. So how are voters feeling today? Our Election Day coverage continues.

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[05:46:44]

CAMEROTA: Americans decide today whether President Trump deserves a second term. A record-breaking number of Americans, nearly 100 million, have already cast their votes. So how are Democrats and Republicans feeling about their chances?

Joining us now are CNN political commentators Paul Begala and Scott Jennings. Paul is a former adviser for President Bill Clinton, and Scott is a former special assistant to President George W. Bush. Great to see you guys on this very big day.

Scott, how are you feeling?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH, COLUMNIST, USA TODAY: Well, I feel fine. I love Election Day and it reminds me of the durability of American democracy and the endurance of our institutions. Obviously, people are taking advantage of voting, so I personally feel just fine.

Now, politically, I can read a poll. I can read a poll and --

CAMEROTA: How do you feel about -- how do you feel about the Republican candidates' chances?

JENNINGS: Yes, I can read a poll. It doesn't like Donald Trump is going to win the election. But, I think that's -- it's not for us to sit on T.V. today and to say that. What's for today is for the American people to go out and make the final call. And so, you know, in terms of prognosticating, I can read a poll.

What's Donald Trump need to happen today? A huge turnout. A huge surge of Republicans to show up, including some people that didn't vote, obviously, in 2016, including people they've been able to register this year. They are banking on a traditional ground game to try to give them some extra points in the swing states and we'll find out tonight if they were able to pull it off.

BERMAN: Let me just say, Scott, you look terrific this morning. So you feel good --

JENNINGS: Thanks, thanks.

BERMAN: -- and you look good, so you have two things going for you, at least.

Paul, it occurred to me --

JENNINGS: Well, I sleep in this -- I sleep in this tiny box that you guys give me, so I'm just -- I'm just here. The lights go off, the lights come on, and I'm just here.

CAMEROTA: That's --

BERMAN: Paul, when you wake up at 2:00 a.m. a lot of things occur to you, and it occurred to me this morning after I woke up, you know, Pennsylvania could be really important. And you know who knows a lot about Pennsylvania? Paul knows a lot about Pennsylvania.

When you were in junior high, you cut your teeth running the campaign of Harris Wofford in 1991. You know, a huge victory for the Democrats. You've done a lot of other races there.

So what do you see in these final hours in that state, and what will you be looking for?

PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER ADVISER FOR PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON: Yes, I've called a lot -- first, Jennings does look great. He's just -- he's just gorgeous and I'm jealous.

But we -- I've run five campaigns in Pennsylvania. I spent a good deal of time, of course, in these last days calling my friends there -- including, by the way, Sen. Casey, the senior Democrat candidate in that state who knows it better than anyone, whose father was governor who I worked for with Sen. Casey a million years ago.

They think we're going to know. It's interesting, we have a reporter in Allegheny County. It's going to take a while to count all the votes but Democrats believe that Biden's going to win by enough that we will know and we'll know in particular counties. Look at the turnout.

You know, there's only two messages in politics -- there's only two choices in life. You know, seriously, whether it's your diet or your marriage or what television station you watch, the question is always stay the course or time for a change. And I'm hearing from Pennsylvania -- of course, I'm hearing from Texans and Georgians and every place I've lived and worked people want a change.

Too many people have lost a friend to Trump's politics. Too many people have lost a job to his economics. Too many people have lost a friend or a loved one to his botched handling of COVID.

[05:50:00]

It is time for change in America and I think you're going to see it in Pennsylvania and you're going to see it across this country. CAMEROTA: The "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette" endorsed President Trump,

Scott, which I think came as a surprise to many people.

Do you agree that it's all about Pennsylvania today? That's where you'll keep your eyes peeled for all night.

JENNINGS: Well, of course. I mean, if Donald Trump could hold Pennsylvania it would really close off some of Biden's path to 270.

The first state I'll be watching for is Florida because if Florida doesn't go back in the president's basket then it's going to be a very short night I think, truthfully. But once you get past Florida, Pennsylvania's vital.

If he holds those two states, you know, we're going to be in for some -- for some several hours of not knowing what's going on out there. But if one of those falls -- yes, I think it'd be problematic.

BERMAN: Yes. Honestly, we really don't know what's going to happen mostly because nearly 100 million people have voted already.

And I'm sure you guys feel like I do. There's just no way to plug that into the computer that I built in my head on how to process elections. I just don't know what it means. I don't know what it means. I don't even know what to look for today in terms of the vote.

Paul, Donald Trump is staying largely in Washington. He's going to his campaign headquarters and hanging out at the White House. Joe Biden's going back to Pennsylvania. It's not far but he's going to Scranton and Philadelphia to pay stops there today.

How much of a difference does that make on Election Day because it doesn't always happen? Candidates don't often go campaign the last day.

BEGALA: No, they don't. And, you know, some people have knocked Biden for not being aggressive enough and campaigning enough. And I think this is terrific.

It's where his heart is. You know, it's not like he's going to be sleeping restfully anyway. This is a really anxiety-ridden day for a politician. So I love that.

You know, again, when I was working in Pennsylvania, we used to call Biden Pennsylvania's third senator because he's from neighboring Delaware. Of course, I'm pretty sure he was born in Scranton. I'm not quite certain about that but he loves those Scranton roots -- they're authentic.

And he came up with, I think, a terrific frame in this election where he said this is Scranton versus Park Avenue. You know, that's a pretty tight, pretty simple, pretty populist way of framing the election.

And, President Trump has a great many strengths but one of his weaknesses is I think you can tag him as being far too much for the Park Avenue crowd. And, Joe is authentic. He's authentically Scranton and I just love that about him.

CAMEROTA: All right.

BERMAN: I mean, usually when you make a candidate go do something it's just for the candidate, to keep him from bugging everyone on the campaign staff. So you send them somewhere so they won't antagonize everybody. But, you know, we'll see if it makes a difference in terms of picking up both.

Scott, Paul, thanks so much for being with us.

BEGALA: Thanks.

JENNINGS: Thanks.

BERMAN: You know, one of the things that affects turnout for sure is the weather. So what is the forecast in the key states on this final day of voting, next.

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[05:57:22]

BERMAN: Weather can be a huge factor in turnout, so what does the weather look like today? CNN meteorologist Jennifer Gray with the forecast -- Jennifer.

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, John.

Yes, we do have a couple of trouble spots on both coasts, mainly across the Northeast and New England, where we have a couple of lingering showers and a little bit of a wintry mix. We could see some isolated showers across portions of Florida. And then across the Pacific Northwest, we do have our next big system that's rolling onshore today.

So here is a live look at the radar. You can see those showers -- some snow showers across portions of New York, as well as Massachusetts, sliding to the east. Now, this isn't going to be an all-day problem. It's mainly just a morning event and then it's going to move on out.

So you can see 7:00 this morning looking like this, and then as the morning goes on it is going to clear out and we'll be left with a couple of lingering clouds, but nothing in the form of precipitation. Most of that will be drying out and pushing offshore.

Of course, across the Pacific Northwest, we have our next big system that's rolling on -- you can see across Seattle. Portland getting some big-time rain and that's going to be lasting throughout much of the day into the afternoon and that's going to slide to the east. So the Pacific Northwest will really see the most rainfall as far as today is concerned.

And so, we are going to continue to see very mild temperatures throughout the day today. The morning starting off pretty chilly across portions of the Southeast, and then those temperatures will warm up into the 60s and 70s across much of the country -- John.

BERMAN: All right, it's a pretty good day to have an election. We don't usually see weather like this over this much of the country on Election Day.

NEW DAY continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have made America proud again and we will make America great again.

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: In this election let's vote like our democracy depends on it.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The campaign is cautiously confident that they may have closed the gap somewhat with Joe Biden with the raucous rallies.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have to fight for this country that we love so much and get out and vote.

BIDEN: There's nothing -- nothing that's going to stop the people of this nation from voting, period. It's time for Donald Trump to pack his bags and go home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

CAMEROTA: That's right, we have a double open, OK? We have a double open. That's how big today is.

We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Tuesday, November third, Election Day.