1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:05,159 Speaker 1: Live from our nations. How do we reopen this economy? 2 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:08,360 Speaker 1: The latest on how this pandemic is impacting farmers. What 3 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:11,360 Speaker 1: does this do for the United States relationship with China? 4 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:16,480 Speaker 1: Floomberg Sound On, The Insiders, the influencers, the insides. We're 5 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:19,680 Speaker 1: responding to this crisis and manufacturers are stepping up like 6 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:23,360 Speaker 1: never before. We're looking at seveny Kennedys for different vaccines. 7 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:26,080 Speaker 1: How do we make sure a pandemic of this scale 8 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: never happens again? This is Bloomberg Sound On with Kevin 9 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 1: Surrel on Bloomberg and one oh five point seven fm 10 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:39,760 Speaker 1: h D two Busy Friday. We've got exclusive interviews with 11 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: Stacy Abrams, the former Democratic gubernatorial nominee for Georgia, her 12 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:51,720 Speaker 1: reaction to the lawsuit between the governor and the Atlanta mayor. Plus, 13 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:54,360 Speaker 1: we're gonna check in with Michael Easter. He's a health journalist. 14 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: He's the author of the forthcoming book The Comfort Crisis, 15 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 1: and now he is a professor at the University of Nevada, 16 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 1: Las Vegas. He's got this incredible, incredible article and outside 17 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:08,319 Speaker 1: magazine about whether or not your fitness tracker might be 18 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:11,840 Speaker 1: able to predict COVID nineteen and A. B. Stoddard for 19 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:14,400 Speaker 1: a half hour. I've got so many questions for her 20 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: on the reset and the Trump campaign, because we begin 21 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: tonight with an issue regarding mail in voting, and it's 22 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 1: a topic that we're gonna be talking about much more 23 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:26,680 Speaker 1: in the coming weeks. But we had to get right 24 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 1: to the the individual, the policymaker who has really been 25 00:01:30,959 --> 00:01:32,959 Speaker 1: at the forefront of all of this. Her name is 26 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: Stacy Abrams. She is the founder of Fair Fight and 27 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:40,399 Speaker 1: the two thousand and eighteen Democratic nominee for Georgia governor. 28 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:47,320 Speaker 1: And she finds herself in a situation where you've got 29 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: Governor Brian Kemp, Republican, filing a lawsuit against uh Keisha 30 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 1: lance Bottom, and the she's the mayor of Atlanta, a Democrat, 31 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:01,320 Speaker 1: and it's is back and forth, and then you've got 32 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: Stacey Abrams, who, of course is is a vice presidential 33 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 1: uh a short on the shortlist for vice president for 34 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: Joe Biden. So anyway, it's a it's a fascinating conversation 35 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 1: in the sense that you really get a sense of 36 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:15,960 Speaker 1: where she's at on the VEEP search, on mail in voting, 37 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:19,240 Speaker 1: and on coronavirus as a whole. Let's let's take a listen. 38 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:22,360 Speaker 1: Here's Stacey Abrams. Leader Abrams, we are thrilled to have 39 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 1: you with us. But first let's get to pressing matters. 40 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 1: Because Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican, on Thursday filing a 41 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:34,920 Speaker 1: lawsuit against the Atlanta City Mayor Kesha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat, 42 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:38,800 Speaker 1: regarding the face mask mandate. How is this going to 43 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,119 Speaker 1: impact the potential spread of the coronavirus in the state 44 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:46,040 Speaker 1: of Georgia. It's going to exacerbate that spread. We know 45 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 1: that Georgia already is among the eighteen states facing the 46 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: hardest resurgence. We know that more than a hundred and 47 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: thirty thousand Georgians have contracted the disease. As of today, 48 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 1: three thousand have died. We know there's a disproportionate effect 49 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 1: on communities of color. And we know that this mask mandate, 50 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:06,800 Speaker 1: or the refusal to allow one, will simply go against 51 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:11,920 Speaker 1: both CDC guidelines and the unpublished mandate, the unpublished recommendations 52 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:14,639 Speaker 1: of the White House, which says that mandating masks make 53 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:18,480 Speaker 1: us safer and help stop the disease from spreading. All right, 54 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: and now let's get to something that you are very 55 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:22,920 Speaker 1: much working on, and that is the issue of access 56 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:25,920 Speaker 1: to voting in the November three election. How can we 57 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 1: assure Americans that mail in votes will be counted on 58 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:33,320 Speaker 1: November three? First, we have to guarantee that they have 59 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:35,680 Speaker 1: the right to vote by mail. We have thirty or 60 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: four states that allow by mail with no excuses, meaning 61 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: anyone can do it. But we have six team states 62 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 1: that put restrictions on it. And unfortunately, we have a 63 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:46,400 Speaker 1: president who is doing his level best to undermine the 64 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 1: integrity of the process. He in a very erratic way, 65 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: said that he doesn't believe in mail invaliding, but he 66 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:55,560 Speaker 1: believes an absentee ballots, which are the exact same thing. 67 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: He has spread this lie about voter fraud being exact 68 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 1: anserbated by mail and balloting, which is wholly untrue. The 69 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 1: states that have used this have been able to demonstrate 70 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:08,120 Speaker 1: time and again this is not a problem. But we 71 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 1: also have an action by the U. S. Senate until 72 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 1: they approve the Heroes Act, which will give three point 73 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:17,520 Speaker 1: six billion dollars cash strapped states to allow them to 74 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:19,600 Speaker 1: expand vote by mail and scale it up to what 75 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:22,160 Speaker 1: we know is going to be necessary in the midst 76 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:25,520 Speaker 1: of COVID nineteen as proven by primary usage, then we 77 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:27,920 Speaker 1: will not be able to guarantee that people get that 78 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:30,280 Speaker 1: right to vote, let alone that those votes can be counted. 79 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:33,840 Speaker 1: Leader Abrams, when I interview Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill, 80 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:36,400 Speaker 1: it feels like that act that you alluded to is 81 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: going to be falling upon partisan lines. So what does 82 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 1: the government need to do in spite of that in 83 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:45,680 Speaker 1: order to make sure that the ballots are counted? And 84 00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:49,680 Speaker 1: what institutional structural changes need to be made immediately, really 85 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:54,080 Speaker 1: ahead of November three? Well, the structural requirements are three One, 86 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:56,840 Speaker 1: we have to have expanded access to in to mail 87 00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: in ballots. Number two, we have to have expanded access 88 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:02,039 Speaker 1: to early voting in the states that do not permit it. 89 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:04,880 Speaker 1: And number three, we have to have preservation of in 90 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:08,600 Speaker 1: person voting on election day without a reduction in polling places. 91 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:12,279 Speaker 1: The Heroes Act will accomplish all three of those things 92 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:15,039 Speaker 1: by giving the states the resources they need. And the 93 00:05:15,080 --> 00:05:18,960 Speaker 1: reality this isn't a partisan issue. We have Republican Secretaries 94 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:21,400 Speaker 1: of State like Michael Adams in Kentucky who has said 95 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:23,559 Speaker 1: that vote by mail is the safest way to vote. 96 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:26,440 Speaker 1: We've got Democrats who've been calling out the same, and 97 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:29,200 Speaker 1: we know that states across this country are being forced 98 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:32,240 Speaker 1: to slash their budgets because of the COVID pandemic, and 99 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:34,480 Speaker 1: that the reason we have a United States of America, 100 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:36,920 Speaker 1: the reason we have a federal system, is that it's 101 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: the responsibility of the federal government to step in in 102 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: moments of crisis like a pandemic and support the states 103 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:48,120 Speaker 1: and executing the constitutionally required November election. These are bigs 104 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:50,360 Speaker 1: can be done, but we have to put aside partisanship 105 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:54,400 Speaker 1: to make sure it happens. Should every American get a 106 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:57,360 Speaker 1: mail in ballot in the mail without having to request one. 107 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:02,200 Speaker 1: Every American who is eligible to vote should receive a 108 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:05,640 Speaker 1: ballot that is postage paid. That is absolutely the right 109 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: thing to do. That would be the gold standard. But 110 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:11,280 Speaker 1: I live in reality, and so what I'm asking for 111 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:14,240 Speaker 1: is that we remove as many of the barriers as possible, 112 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:16,520 Speaker 1: that we put guard rails in place to ensure that 113 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:19,800 Speaker 1: everyone who wants to vote by mail can do so. However, 114 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:22,719 Speaker 1: we have to remember that not everyone can or should 115 00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:25,400 Speaker 1: vote by mail. If you are disabled, if you have 116 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:29,159 Speaker 1: a language barrier, if you have legitimate there, if you 117 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 1: are homeless, if you've been displaced by COVID. There are 118 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 1: a number of communities that simply don't have the right 119 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:36,560 Speaker 1: or the capacity to vote by mail, and they need 120 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:38,440 Speaker 1: to be able to go in person. And that's why 121 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:41,279 Speaker 1: we can't simply focus on vote by mail. We have 122 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:43,240 Speaker 1: to be able to walk into gum at the same time, 123 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 1: do vote by mail in person, early voting and election 124 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:49,440 Speaker 1: day voting without a closure precincts. I hear you on this, 125 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:51,560 Speaker 1: Leader Abrams, but I got a press you here because 126 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:53,800 Speaker 1: we're just, you know, a couple of months away from 127 00:06:53,839 --> 00:06:56,520 Speaker 1: from the election, and you know, I'm curious whether or 128 00:06:56,520 --> 00:07:00,160 Speaker 1: not the bureaucracy in the federal government, you know, at 129 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:02,919 Speaker 1: the US Postal Service, for example, whether or not they're 130 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:07,039 Speaker 1: actually prepared to handle the influx number of ballots that 131 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 1: could be coming their way. How do we guarantee that 132 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:11,600 Speaker 1: the institutions that are really going to be on the 133 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:15,840 Speaker 1: front lines of counting the votes for democracy are adequately 134 00:07:15,880 --> 00:07:19,560 Speaker 1: prepared for the potential of a massive increase email and votes. 135 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:23,640 Speaker 1: We start now, we make certain that our Congress acts 136 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:26,600 Speaker 1: now the House has taken action. If the Senate passes 137 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,640 Speaker 1: the Heroes Act. It includes the guardrails we need, includes 138 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:32,680 Speaker 1: the resources we need to make certain that the U. S. 139 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:36,360 Speaker 1: Postal Service isn't weaponized by Donald Trump to block access 140 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:38,440 Speaker 1: to the right to vote. It ensures that states and 141 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: local governments have the resources they need to scale up 142 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:44,600 Speaker 1: absentee balloting. It ensures that we have the poll workers 143 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:46,800 Speaker 1: we need to do this process. But we also have 144 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:49,000 Speaker 1: to tell people it's going to take longer than eleven 145 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:52,000 Speaker 1: PM on election night to know the answer when in 146 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:54,400 Speaker 1: the midst of crisis, we have to adapt, and that 147 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:58,360 Speaker 1: adaptation is not only possible, it is necessary. We also 148 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:01,280 Speaker 1: know that every single state in the country has the 149 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:04,320 Speaker 1: capacity and the infrastructure for male and voting. This is 150 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:07,240 Speaker 1: about scale, not about capacity. And if we get the 151 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: resources to scale this up, as Vice President Biden has 152 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:13,720 Speaker 1: called for, as Republicans and Democrats have called for, if 153 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:16,600 Speaker 1: we do what Tom Ridge, a Republican, has called for, 154 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:19,600 Speaker 1: and what good Democrats and Republicans are calling for across 155 00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:22,040 Speaker 1: the country, we can make this work. But we have 156 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:24,720 Speaker 1: to have a president who actually believes in our democracy 157 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 1: and leans away from his cowardice and his ignorance and 158 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:32,240 Speaker 1: actually works for Americans for once, you said something right 159 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:36,439 Speaker 1: there about the expectation of not necessarily getting the vote 160 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:40,079 Speaker 1: on eleven PM on election night. How might this change 161 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:44,840 Speaker 1: the way that Americans get their election results? Practically speaking, well, 162 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:47,480 Speaker 1: practically speaking, we have to pay attention to the fact 163 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:50,600 Speaker 1: that in Wisconsin, in Georgia, in New York. It's going 164 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:52,760 Speaker 1: to take a minute. But if we have done the 165 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:55,480 Speaker 1: work on the front end, if we have stopped this 166 00:08:55,640 --> 00:09:00,040 Speaker 1: partisan undermining of the process, if we have recognized the 167 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:03,320 Speaker 1: legitimacy of voter suppression and done our work to push 168 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:06,800 Speaker 1: it aside, if we have invested in the infrastructure we need, 169 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:09,839 Speaker 1: then people will have the patients. We know that South 170 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:13,200 Speaker 1: Korea held their single largest election in April, in the 171 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:15,720 Speaker 1: midst of COVID nineteen, so there is no excuse for 172 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:18,400 Speaker 1: us not being able to do this work. What has 173 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:21,480 Speaker 1: to happen is that our will has to meet our obligations, 174 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:23,880 Speaker 1: and that is that we have to have the resources 175 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:27,640 Speaker 1: from the federal government, the commitment of state leaders, including 176 00:09:27,679 --> 00:09:31,040 Speaker 1: Secretaries of State that unfortunately practice voter suppression in the past. 177 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:33,680 Speaker 1: But together we can make this happen. And we have 178 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:35,800 Speaker 1: to have the patience of the American people to know 179 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:39,000 Speaker 1: that once they've cast their ballots, if we've done our part, 180 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:42,440 Speaker 1: we will get an answer. Leader Abrahams. In your book 181 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:45,439 Speaker 1: Our Time Is Now, you write about how you are 182 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:49,080 Speaker 1: the daughter of two civil rights activists and actually your 183 00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:52,000 Speaker 1: father was arrested at the age of fourteen for helping 184 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:56,360 Speaker 1: to register African Americans to vote in Mississippi. Here we 185 00:09:56,400 --> 00:09:58,520 Speaker 1: are in two thousand and twenty, where the nation has 186 00:09:58,559 --> 00:10:03,120 Speaker 1: been having for a national discourse around race relations in 187 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 1: this country. Do you think that the momentum of this 188 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:09,840 Speaker 1: moment might be able to yield some results as it 189 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 1: relates to up ending voter suppression. I do believe so, 190 00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:16,880 Speaker 1: but this is going to be a process. There's not 191 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:19,520 Speaker 1: a moment where we have not had voter suppression in 192 00:10:19,559 --> 00:10:23,120 Speaker 1: our country, and so my mission right now is progress. 193 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:25,840 Speaker 1: How do we mitigate voter suppression so that more and 194 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:28,120 Speaker 1: more of the people who deserve to be heard are 195 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:30,520 Speaker 1: able to make their voices heard at the ballot box. 196 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:33,560 Speaker 1: How do we make certain that we understand that voter 197 00:10:33,679 --> 00:10:36,960 Speaker 1: fraud is a lie, that it is rare, and it 198 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:40,040 Speaker 1: is almost never. I don't believe it's ever really affected 199 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:42,800 Speaker 1: an election, which is different than election fraud, but that 200 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:45,520 Speaker 1: voter suppression is real, and that it's intent is to 201 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:48,200 Speaker 1: defeat us, to convince that it's not worth trying, but 202 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:50,920 Speaker 1: that if we understand that it exists, if we fight 203 00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:53,480 Speaker 1: back against it, then we have the ability to shape 204 00:10:53,480 --> 00:10:57,840 Speaker 1: the future, especially dismantling structural racism for the first time 205 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:00,240 Speaker 1: in our country. It's going to take time, it's going 206 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:02,520 Speaker 1: to be more than just a single vote, but this 207 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:06,560 Speaker 1: vote in is an important start. Leader Abrahams says, you 208 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:09,839 Speaker 1: have campaigned on this issue as well as for progressives 209 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:12,440 Speaker 1: across this country. You are often seen as a potential 210 00:11:12,559 --> 00:11:17,559 Speaker 1: vice presidential pick for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. 211 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:22,520 Speaker 1: How has that conversation impacted your advocacy work and what 212 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:25,439 Speaker 1: type of vice presidential pick do you hope the Biden 213 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:29,480 Speaker 1: team selects. I've been doing this work since i was 214 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:33,480 Speaker 1: a college student. I've been working on voting rights because 215 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:36,120 Speaker 1: my parents raised me to understand that the power of 216 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:38,880 Speaker 1: a citizen begins with the power to vote. And that 217 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:41,600 Speaker 1: is why, in the wake of the election, I've founded 218 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:45,160 Speaker 1: Fair Fight. It's why I'm also focused on the census, 219 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:48,000 Speaker 1: which is just as important setting the future of our 220 00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:51,199 Speaker 1: right to vote because it determines our political districts, and 221 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:53,640 Speaker 1: that's why I created fair count. I have been working 222 00:11:53,679 --> 00:11:55,480 Speaker 1: on this and I will continue to do this work 223 00:11:55,679 --> 00:11:58,840 Speaker 1: because I'm driven by the mission of making sure that 224 00:11:58,840 --> 00:12:01,840 Speaker 1: we have the policies that right our country and that 225 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:05,520 Speaker 1: make us all eligible for opportunity. And I look forward 226 00:12:05,559 --> 00:12:08,960 Speaker 1: to watching Vice President Biden select the person he wants 227 00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:10,920 Speaker 1: as his running mate. There's no one who knows better 228 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:13,920 Speaker 1: what he needs because he's done this job, and I 229 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:16,120 Speaker 1: believe that no matter who he picks, I'm going to 230 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:18,920 Speaker 1: be shoulder to shoulder with them making certain that Vice 231 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:21,520 Speaker 1: President Biden becomes the president of the United States and 232 00:12:21,520 --> 00:12:24,760 Speaker 1: that we start to write our democracy and restore America. 233 00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:28,600 Speaker 1: That was my interview with Stacy Abrams. She is the 234 00:12:28,679 --> 00:12:32,760 Speaker 1: founder of Fair Fight and two thousand and eighteen Democratic 235 00:12:32,800 --> 00:12:36,640 Speaker 1: nominee for Georgia governor. She also Folks is on that 236 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:42,280 Speaker 1: shortlist for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's vice presidential pick. 237 00:12:42,360 --> 00:12:45,720 Speaker 1: And just as a reminder, Michael Bloomberg is the founder 238 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:48,800 Speaker 1: and majority owner of Bloomberg LP. Is a contributor to 239 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:51,679 Speaker 1: a Fair Fight political action committee, which was founded by 240 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:55,920 Speaker 1: Stacy Abrams to promote voter registration. All right, let's reset. 241 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:58,360 Speaker 1: My name is Kevin Curilli. I'm the chief Washington correspondent 242 00:12:58,400 --> 00:13:00,880 Speaker 1: for Bloomberg Television and for Bloomberg Radio. You can find 243 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:03,719 Speaker 1: all of my reporting on Bloomberg dot com and on 244 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:07,640 Speaker 1: the Bloomberg Business app. Checkout Stacy Abrams, Governor Whittmer, UH, 245 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:12,320 Speaker 1: Governor Larry Hogan. It's all on the Bloomberg website as well. 246 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:15,480 Speaker 1: You know, folks, we're gonna talk coming up with a B. 247 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:19,760 Speaker 1: Stoddard about but you know, I'm on this, you know, 248 00:13:20,160 --> 00:13:23,640 Speaker 1: kick of of how do we prevent the next virus? Right? 249 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:27,280 Speaker 1: How do we prevent the next pandemic? Because the history 250 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:30,240 Speaker 1: books are going to be written on this, and they're 251 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:32,600 Speaker 1: gonna look at what was good, what was bad, what 252 00:13:32,679 --> 00:13:35,720 Speaker 1: was good, what was bad. But it's also a moment 253 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:41,440 Speaker 1: culturally around the world to re look at how we 254 00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:47,320 Speaker 1: actually engage with one another. And I'm really excited to 255 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:51,360 Speaker 1: welcome to the program. A first time individual on the program, 256 00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:55,240 Speaker 1: but someone who actually many many years ago mentored me 257 00:13:55,320 --> 00:13:58,000 Speaker 1: when I was just an intern at Men's Health magazine. 258 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:01,560 Speaker 1: I interned at Men's Health, UH, and Michael Easter was 259 00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:04,839 Speaker 1: one of the editors there and I him. Him and 260 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:06,840 Speaker 1: I have kept up with one another, and I saw 261 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:11,040 Speaker 1: his recent piece in Outside magazine and I thought, this 262 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:14,760 Speaker 1: is spot on, this is fascinating. The headline reads, your 263 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:19,480 Speaker 1: fitness tracker might be able to predict COVID nineteen. So 264 00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:22,960 Speaker 1: those watches, you know, those all those devices that people 265 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:26,640 Speaker 1: had at the gym that actually that health data could 266 00:14:26,680 --> 00:14:30,480 Speaker 1: actually potentially be a signal for who is going to 267 00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:33,360 Speaker 1: get COVID nineteen. Michael Lisa, Welcome to the program. He's 268 00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:36,240 Speaker 1: a health journalist, author of the forthcoming book The Comfort Crisis, 269 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:40,280 Speaker 1: and a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Michael, 270 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:44,920 Speaker 1: what's going on with these fitness trackers? Thanks for having me. 271 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:48,320 Speaker 1: They're interesting. We're definitely entering some new brown where that 272 00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:52,000 Speaker 1: garment watts or that you know, whoop band or whatever 273 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:54,440 Speaker 1: you might have. It used to be this thing that 274 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:56,560 Speaker 1: was kind of for fitness nerds, and now we're sort 275 00:14:56,600 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 1: of learning that maybe there's some interesting data for the 276 00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:04,440 Speaker 1: whole uh for public health specifically, Like you said, um, 277 00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:06,280 Speaker 1: what are we gonna do about the next pandemic? And 278 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:08,520 Speaker 1: what are some of the tools that we have to 279 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:12,000 Speaker 1: help control that You know if and hopefully hopefully it 280 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:15,120 Speaker 1: doesn't happen, but if it does, um, hopefully it can 281 00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:17,120 Speaker 1: kind of give us an upper hand. See. I find 282 00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:21,240 Speaker 1: this interesting because prior to the pandemic, so many of 283 00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:25,120 Speaker 1: these health companies have been marketing these gadgets and these gizmos. 284 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:28,040 Speaker 1: Oh track your steps, Oh what's your heart beat? How 285 00:15:28,040 --> 00:15:30,200 Speaker 1: many calories did you burn? You know, you're at these 286 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:34,360 Speaker 1: fitness classes and you see the devices and and and 287 00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:36,760 Speaker 1: and you're like, for me, I'm like, what why do 288 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:38,720 Speaker 1: I need to know my sleep patterns? I don't sleep, 289 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:42,160 Speaker 1: you know. But but it's but I think what your 290 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:45,120 Speaker 1: article and Outside magazine points out is that fitness tracking 291 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:49,680 Speaker 1: companies pivot, are pivoting from personal to public health. Walk 292 00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:52,880 Speaker 1: me through that transition in the past couple of months 293 00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:56,840 Speaker 1: about how these data fitness tracking companies have pivoted their 294 00:15:56,960 --> 00:16:01,520 Speaker 1: use of the personal data to public health data. That's huge. Yeah, 295 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 1: absolutely so. I think a really interesting story to think 296 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:07,560 Speaker 1: about is this guy in um Finland. His name is 297 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:12,920 Speaker 1: Petrie Holman, and he decided to take a ski vacation 298 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:17,000 Speaker 1: in Austria, like right as the pandemic was short of 299 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:18,920 Speaker 1: becoming a thing. You know, they were kind of like 300 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:21,560 Speaker 1: you do the ski trip or not. They looked at 301 00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:23,520 Speaker 1: the data, they weren't have any cases. So we go. 302 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:25,840 Speaker 1: He has his fun on his ski vacation. He says, 303 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:29,200 Speaker 1: he was, you know, sanitizing his hands every ten seconds, 304 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:31,440 Speaker 1: that sort of thing. And he's a guy. We've all 305 00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:36,760 Speaker 1: been there, We've all been there. Yeah. He he wears 306 00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:39,680 Speaker 1: an or ring, which is one of these fitness tractors, 307 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:42,720 Speaker 1: and so he does a ski vacation, gets on the plane, 308 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:46,760 Speaker 1: goes back to Finland, and he decided he learns that 309 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:49,600 Speaker 1: this area that he was actually had more cases than 310 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:53,320 Speaker 1: they thought retrospectively, so he decided to not stay home 311 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:56,120 Speaker 1: from work. I'm not going to go into the office now. 312 00:16:56,160 --> 00:16:58,520 Speaker 1: One morning, he wakes up and he checks his the 313 00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:01,200 Speaker 1: fitness device that gives you the what's it's called the 314 00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:03,680 Speaker 1: daily readiness score more or less. It just kind of 315 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:06,560 Speaker 1: tells you how's my body doing today? And he usually 316 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:09,399 Speaker 1: scores in the eighties or nineties, and he had the 317 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:11,520 Speaker 1: score of fifty, and he goes, well, what's going on here? 318 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:14,760 Speaker 1: You know, this thing looks at to get this readiness score. 319 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:17,880 Speaker 1: It looks at things like resting heart rate, um, your 320 00:17:17,880 --> 00:17:20,760 Speaker 1: body temperature, over the that you're breathing rate, that sort 321 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:22,880 Speaker 1: of thing. And you know, if he was being a guy, 322 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:25,399 Speaker 1: he was gonna be like, yeah, I'm fine, you know, 323 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:27,800 Speaker 1: I'll go into work or whatever. And his wife was 324 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:30,800 Speaker 1: a doctor and she said, not so fast. I think 325 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:33,320 Speaker 1: you should actually maybe looked into this a little bit. 326 00:17:33,840 --> 00:17:36,520 Speaker 1: And he ends up getting a test and it turns 327 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:38,879 Speaker 1: out he was positive for the coronavirus. He was the 328 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:43,320 Speaker 1: first public space of the coronavirus in Finland. Um. So, 329 00:17:44,119 --> 00:17:46,679 Speaker 1: what this basically means is that because these things are 330 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:50,440 Speaker 1: tracking these you know, really intricate data points of our health, 331 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:55,240 Speaker 1: like I mentioned your heart rate, the body temperature, et cetera, 332 00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:58,479 Speaker 1: all the time, they can tell us things about how 333 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:00,800 Speaker 1: our body is changing. Now, if you look at something 334 00:18:00,840 --> 00:18:05,479 Speaker 1: like the coronavirus, when someone is infected, right, they don't 335 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:08,240 Speaker 1: show signs immediately. It's not like someone costs on you 336 00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:11,040 Speaker 1: and then all of a sudden you're coughing. What happens 337 00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:13,199 Speaker 1: is you get exposed and you have sort of this 338 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:16,800 Speaker 1: like incubation period for two or three days. Maybe you 339 00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:20,600 Speaker 1: don't show symptoms, but your body is actually showing symptoms 340 00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:25,240 Speaker 1: that are imperceptible to you. So things like overnight, your 341 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:28,440 Speaker 1: body temperature will actually rise a couple of degrees more 342 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:30,600 Speaker 1: than they normally would have. Now, this is something if 343 00:18:30,600 --> 00:18:33,199 Speaker 1: you're wearing one of these tractors and it has that feature, 344 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:37,159 Speaker 1: it's going to pick that up and potentially flag it. 345 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:39,760 Speaker 1: Especially in the future once we start to figure out 346 00:18:40,040 --> 00:18:44,160 Speaker 1: what can these things really do for individuals and public health, 347 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:47,840 Speaker 1: there may be little things that being up and say, hey, 348 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:50,399 Speaker 1: you might be getting sick. What's going on here? You know, 349 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:52,840 Speaker 1: stay home today, Because if you have this sort of 350 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:56,000 Speaker 1: advancing warning that these can give you, you would make 351 00:18:56,000 --> 00:18:59,000 Speaker 1: different decisions during a time of pandemic. Right you probably 352 00:18:59,119 --> 00:19:01,760 Speaker 1: go to the grocery store, or you wouldn't go visit 353 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:04,399 Speaker 1: your grandma or something like that. You might even not 354 00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:09,080 Speaker 1: do something, or you might not send your kid to school. 355 00:19:09,560 --> 00:19:15,320 Speaker 1: And as as the country's having this national conversation for 356 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:17,800 Speaker 1: lack of a better word, about whether or not to 357 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:22,760 Speaker 1: reopen schools, this data pertaining to help. It's not just individuals. 358 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:28,040 Speaker 1: This potentially could be a way to to understand symptoms 359 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:31,840 Speaker 1: before the virus spreads. It's it's fascinating and in Michael Easter, 360 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:33,479 Speaker 1: who's joining us on the line, he's a health journalist, 361 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:35,760 Speaker 1: author of the forthcoming book The Comfort Crisis, and a 362 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:38,720 Speaker 1: professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He's got 363 00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:43,080 Speaker 1: this article and Outside magazine headlined your fitness tracker might 364 00:19:43,119 --> 00:19:46,720 Speaker 1: be able to predict COVID nineteen. In this article, you 365 00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:50,199 Speaker 1: talk about how the major league sports leagues, including the 366 00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:55,440 Speaker 1: NBA and the PGA Golf Tour, are actually requiring staff 367 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:58,600 Speaker 1: and athletes to where some of these tracking devices in 368 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:00,800 Speaker 1: order to track the symptoms. Before I let you go, 369 00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:03,840 Speaker 1: we have literally sixty seconds left, Michael, before I let 370 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:06,920 Speaker 1: you go. Um, I want to ask you, well, actually, 371 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:09,640 Speaker 1: let's keep Michael Christine Barrato. Let's keep him for over 372 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:11,679 Speaker 1: the break because we we do gotta run. But uh, 373 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:15,040 Speaker 1: but quickly. You know, my dad's turning seventy. Should I 374 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:17,199 Speaker 1: get him a fitness track or device? I mean, is 375 00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:19,000 Speaker 1: that is it? Should this be the gift that I 376 00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:23,000 Speaker 1: get Dad for his seventieth birthday next week? That's a 377 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:25,800 Speaker 1: good question. I mean, if you think it might compel 378 00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:28,240 Speaker 1: him to move a little more, I think that's gonna 379 00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:32,159 Speaker 1: do a lot for his help. My dad runs like 380 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:35,160 Speaker 1: three miles every day. He's like seventy years old. He's 381 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:37,840 Speaker 1: got two titanium knees to replaced hips. He's like the 382 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:40,480 Speaker 1: tin man and he's and he's running anyway. All right, Michael, 383 00:20:40,800 --> 00:20:42,640 Speaker 1: stay with us because I got some more questions about 384 00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:44,639 Speaker 1: the sports leagues and sort of the sort of the 385 00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:47,119 Speaker 1: other transition into data. Michael, he's just gonna stay up. 386 00:20:47,119 --> 00:20:49,480 Speaker 1: And then A. B. Stoddard. I'm Kevin Cirelli, Chief Washington 387 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:52,600 Speaker 1: Correspondent FRO Bloomberg TV and Radio, and you're listening to Bloomberg. 388 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:08,199 Speaker 1: This is Bloomberg's Sound On with Kevin Surreley on Bloomberg 389 00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:11,720 Speaker 1: and one oh five point seven f m HD two. 390 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:15,720 Speaker 1: I'm Kevin CURRELLI I'm the chief Washington Correspondent f for 391 00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:18,280 Speaker 1: Bloomberg TV and Radio. It's Friday, folks. You made it. 392 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:22,280 Speaker 1: Congrats Every Friday I say it. I say it's a Barada. 393 00:21:22,359 --> 00:21:24,879 Speaker 1: I never thought it would come. I never thought it 394 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:28,119 Speaker 1: would get here sure enough, right on time. Here it 395 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:30,680 Speaker 1: is Michael Easters on the line. He's a health journalist, 396 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:33,680 Speaker 1: author of the forthcoming book The Comfort Crisis, and professor 397 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:37,000 Speaker 1: at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Michael, we're talking 398 00:21:37,040 --> 00:21:40,879 Speaker 1: about your article and outside magazine headlines. Your fitness tracker 399 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:43,000 Speaker 1: might be able to predict COVID nineteen. I got two 400 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:45,919 Speaker 1: more questions for you. This is what what are the 401 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:48,040 Speaker 1: sports leagues doing? And it could be a model for 402 00:21:48,119 --> 00:21:51,480 Speaker 1: other institutions, both in the private sector and education, to 403 00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:54,880 Speaker 1: track fitness or to not to track fitness, to track 404 00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:59,080 Speaker 1: health to prevent the spread of the corona virus. Yeah, 405 00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:02,160 Speaker 1: so you have. The NBA has distributed the Aura rings 406 00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:04,760 Speaker 1: and we talked about a moment ago to all the players, 407 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:07,159 Speaker 1: all the staff, all the all the people working in 408 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:11,600 Speaker 1: the Disney bubble down there. And this isn't the only 409 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:13,480 Speaker 1: thing they're doing. Of course, players are still going to 410 00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:16,800 Speaker 1: receive testing every single day in that league, but it's 411 00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:19,720 Speaker 1: just another thing they think could help. You have. The 412 00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:24,480 Speaker 1: PGA Tour has distributed whoop bands to all players and 413 00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:28,960 Speaker 1: caddies and also staff, and they're also doing test things. 414 00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:31,760 Speaker 1: But in that case the band was actually paid up. 415 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:34,280 Speaker 1: There's a guy called Nick Watney who's on the tour. 416 00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:37,320 Speaker 1: He could player on the tour and he noticed his 417 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:41,600 Speaker 1: bandholding that Overnight his breathing rate increased pretty heavily, and 418 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:44,560 Speaker 1: he thought that was odd. Soon after he had symptoms 419 00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:47,560 Speaker 1: and turns out that he had COVID and he had 420 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:49,960 Speaker 1: to get pulled out of a tournament, and now he's 421 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:51,640 Speaker 1: going to have a sort of a ten day break 422 00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:55,120 Speaker 1: period and then he has to test negative for two 423 00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:57,720 Speaker 1: tests after to return to the tour. So you're going 424 00:22:57,760 --> 00:22:59,639 Speaker 1: to see that across leagues. I know a lot of 425 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:02,720 Speaker 1: the UH companies are talking to different leagues and they're 426 00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:05,200 Speaker 1: even thinking about, well, how do we do this even 427 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:08,560 Speaker 1: in a university setting, for all students, not to mention 428 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:14,240 Speaker 1: just student athletes who you know, exactly the students. So 429 00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:16,800 Speaker 1: here's my last question for you, which is, Okay, people 430 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:19,600 Speaker 1: hear big data, they get nervous. So what's what are 431 00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:22,720 Speaker 1: these companies doing in terms of responding to the nerves 432 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:25,760 Speaker 1: of some consumers who might be very weary of providing 433 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:30,800 Speaker 1: health data information to UH to these companies, that's a 434 00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:33,119 Speaker 1: good question. I mean, it's all going to these big 435 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:36,520 Speaker 1: algorithms that use AI, and I think that's something that 436 00:23:36,560 --> 00:23:38,639 Speaker 1: I mean, there's definitely going to be a debate about that, 437 00:23:38,760 --> 00:23:41,600 Speaker 1: especially in the future. You know, they're talking about if 438 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:44,360 Speaker 1: we had enough people, could we almost have a public 439 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:47,720 Speaker 1: disease weather map that changes every day where it's like, 440 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:49,800 Speaker 1: don't go out today because we have all the data 441 00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:53,439 Speaker 1: showing us that more people are potentially shown symptoms. I 442 00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:55,719 Speaker 1: don't know, that's gonna be something they're definitely gonna have 443 00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:58,080 Speaker 1: to think about. I mean, it's kind of a trade 444 00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:02,600 Speaker 1: off between you know, private individual health data and then 445 00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:04,800 Speaker 1: what do we need to do as a society to 446 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:08,199 Speaker 1: contain something like the pandemic. You know, there's gonna be 447 00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:10,399 Speaker 1: some tradeoffs. When does the book come out? The Comfort 448 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:15,680 Speaker 1: Crisis comes out in April of alright, well, we will 449 00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:18,080 Speaker 1: talk to you then for sure, if not before then. 450 00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:20,879 Speaker 1: Michael Easter, who also covers a lot about the military, 451 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:23,120 Speaker 1: we'll have him on when he has another report out 452 00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:25,920 Speaker 1: about people serving in the military as well, because he's 453 00:24:25,960 --> 00:24:28,680 Speaker 1: been ahead of that as well. Michael Easter, health journalist, 454 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:31,439 Speaker 1: author of the forthcoming book The Comfort Crisis, professor at 455 00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:34,040 Speaker 1: the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and my former mentor 456 00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:36,520 Speaker 1: when I was an intern at Men's Health Magazine. What 457 00:24:36,600 --> 00:24:39,520 Speaker 1: was I like as an intern? Easter? You were one 458 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:43,840 Speaker 1: of the top three of all time interns? No question, Wow, 459 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:46,680 Speaker 1: you gotta you did a helmet job. We still talk 460 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:50,359 Speaker 1: about you, so wow. Well, thank you who beat me? 461 00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:52,400 Speaker 1: I got hey hey s really wants to know why 462 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:54,760 Speaker 1: he's not number one. Michael Easter, thank you for coming on. 463 00:24:54,880 --> 00:24:58,680 Speaker 1: Let's reset. I'm Kevin cereally, Chief Washington correspondent for Bloomberg 464 00:24:58,720 --> 00:25:01,439 Speaker 1: Television and for Bomberg Radio. That's right, folks, that used 465 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:04,160 Speaker 1: to be an internament sealth many many many years ago. 466 00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:08,280 Speaker 1: But enough about me. Let's talk politics and bring in 467 00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:12,800 Speaker 1: two political all stars. A. B. Stoddard, Associate editor at 468 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:18,080 Speaker 1: Real Clear Politics. Roger Fisk, democratic strategist, longtime President Obama 469 00:25:18,119 --> 00:25:22,040 Speaker 1: aid and principal at New Day Strategy. A. B. There 470 00:25:22,119 --> 00:25:26,040 Speaker 1: was a shake up at the president's re election campaign, 471 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:30,720 Speaker 1: Ken step in, get it back on track. What's he 472 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:40,480 Speaker 1: gotta do? He's a change president Trump. President Trump is 473 00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:44,320 Speaker 1: uh uh the person who is screwing up the campaign 474 00:25:44,359 --> 00:25:48,080 Speaker 1: and self destructing politically. And I can understand why he's 475 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:52,600 Speaker 1: upset that Brad parscal overpromised on crowd numbers for Tulsa 476 00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:55,720 Speaker 1: and has been making a lot of money um as 477 00:25:56,119 --> 00:25:59,240 Speaker 1: as a campaign chief for Trump over these years. But 478 00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:03,280 Speaker 1: um poor Bill stepping In or anyone else two steps 479 00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:05,480 Speaker 1: in is going to find that they're going to be 480 00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:09,399 Speaker 1: blamed when things go south. Not the president, for stepping 481 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:12,120 Speaker 1: in and every day. So it is a thankless, thankless job. 482 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:15,439 Speaker 1: All right. So Roger fisk I was struck by the 483 00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:19,000 Speaker 1: rollout of the Biden campaign's economic plan, in which they 484 00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:22,480 Speaker 1: had a very elaborate rollout, uh, in terms of centrist 485 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:25,959 Speaker 1: flooding the air waves, also trying to appeal to progressives. 486 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:29,119 Speaker 1: You want to see some type of climate change reaction, 487 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:32,480 Speaker 1: and and there wasn't as much of a concerted response 488 00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:34,520 Speaker 1: coming from the right. And just and I'm not talking. 489 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:37,040 Speaker 1: I don't want to have a debate about about policy. 490 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:42,520 Speaker 1: I want to put your political strategy or strategicy. Remember 491 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:46,439 Speaker 1: that word strategicy. Uh, cap on for a second, Roger, 492 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:49,199 Speaker 1: In terms of what are they I mean, are they 493 00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:51,360 Speaker 1: gonna get it together? We're gonna have a real campaign 494 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:55,719 Speaker 1: fight soon. Uh. First off, Kevin, and thanks so much 495 00:26:55,760 --> 00:26:57,200 Speaker 1: for having me. And it's read to be here with 496 00:26:57,200 --> 00:26:59,760 Speaker 1: with a b I think there's a level of kind 497 00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:03,280 Speaker 1: of a Austin flash maxing out the bandwidth, uh, in 498 00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:07,119 Speaker 1: the Republican circles where when you're defending the president on 499 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:11,000 Speaker 1: five and six and seven different fronts, um, you know, 500 00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:12,920 Speaker 1: if you can peel off six or eight or ten 501 00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:15,520 Speaker 1: percent of your bandwidth to try to attack Biden. But 502 00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:18,119 Speaker 1: I think Biden essentially slip one past the goalie on 503 00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:22,960 Speaker 1: this one, because this week, uh, you know, pretty much 504 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:28,080 Speaker 1: every single day there was a seismic stumble um on 505 00:27:28,080 --> 00:27:31,400 Speaker 1: on the part of either the incumbent or the incumbent campaign. 506 00:27:31,680 --> 00:27:33,439 Speaker 1: And I just you know, in the in the in 507 00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:36,240 Speaker 1: the context, and in the process of mopping up after 508 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:38,440 Speaker 1: each one of those every day, I just don't think 509 00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:41,160 Speaker 1: that they had the firepower to go at Biden um 510 00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:43,679 Speaker 1: as they would have in a normal news cycle. I 511 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:46,680 Speaker 1: think slip past the goalie is is a really good analogy, 512 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:48,760 Speaker 1: because that's that's what it feels like. It feels like 513 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:51,880 Speaker 1: the goalie isn't watching, and there's like why I'm here, 514 00:27:53,320 --> 00:27:56,239 Speaker 1: Abe started, you know. Kelly and Conway earlier today at 515 00:27:56,240 --> 00:27:59,960 Speaker 1: the White House told reporters that she wants the camp 516 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:01,840 Speaker 1: pain to have some of the same swagger was the 517 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:04,560 Speaker 1: word she used from back in two thousand and sixteen. 518 00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:07,240 Speaker 1: Frank Luntz tweeted out a photograph of him inside the 519 00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:10,080 Speaker 1: Oval Office. Frank, of course, is one of the dominant 520 00:28:10,080 --> 00:28:13,560 Speaker 1: political posters in Washington, d c uh, so him being 521 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:16,080 Speaker 1: there it'll be interesting to see you know what they 522 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:19,879 Speaker 1: what they discussed. But you know, Kelly An also made 523 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:23,480 Speaker 1: the point of she wants the president to have more 524 00:28:23,600 --> 00:28:27,040 Speaker 1: daily Coronavirus Task Force briefings to to get back on 525 00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:30,440 Speaker 1: the airwaves, to get back ahead of this. And I'm 526 00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:35,120 Speaker 1: curious what whether or not you think that strategy needs 527 00:28:35,119 --> 00:28:38,560 Speaker 1: to happen, just from a strategic standpoint and less so 528 00:28:38,680 --> 00:28:43,680 Speaker 1: about you know, the policy debate. Well, unfortunately, the substance 529 00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:45,800 Speaker 1: of COVID is the most important thing. The President of 530 00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:49,520 Speaker 1: abandoned the virus. He's put in a rear view mirror. 531 00:28:49,600 --> 00:28:53,320 Speaker 1: He's in total denial about it. He's um subjugating science 532 00:28:53,320 --> 00:28:55,320 Speaker 1: but also literally hiding data from US now from the 533 00:28:55,320 --> 00:28:59,320 Speaker 1: Iraqan people like we're in you know, some dictatorship. And 534 00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:02,240 Speaker 1: it is true, really frightening, because this is the story 535 00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:06,520 Speaker 1: that everyone pays attention to. So there's tons of Americans 536 00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:09,720 Speaker 1: who are not Maga, they're not never Trumpers, they don't 537 00:29:09,720 --> 00:29:13,200 Speaker 1: follow politics, they don't know that much about Donald Trump 538 00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:15,800 Speaker 1: at all, and they don't know what he did with Ukraine. 539 00:29:15,800 --> 00:29:17,720 Speaker 1: They don't know why he was impeached. They didn't follow 540 00:29:17,760 --> 00:29:20,719 Speaker 1: the news, they didn't care. They moved on with their lives, 541 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:25,400 Speaker 1: and somehow this pandemic rolls in and frightens you know, 542 00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:28,959 Speaker 1: almost everyone in this country um afraid it's going to 543 00:29:28,960 --> 00:29:30,720 Speaker 1: touch some part of their life and their family or 544 00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:33,640 Speaker 1: their community, and they tune into these daily briefings. So 545 00:29:33,840 --> 00:29:37,200 Speaker 1: sometimes went on for two hours where the President was 546 00:29:37,760 --> 00:29:42,520 Speaker 1: completely off his gourd, and members of Congress couldn't even 547 00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:44,760 Speaker 1: watch them, of his own party, they were so crazy. 548 00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:47,320 Speaker 1: He would rate the press, he would go off on 549 00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:53,240 Speaker 1: his magical cures Um promotional, you know, at Jingles hydrox, 550 00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:57,440 Speaker 1: the chloroquin lisol, chlorox, you name it. And it was epically, 551 00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:03,200 Speaker 1: historically disastrous, and so had Americans who don't consider themselves 552 00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:07,520 Speaker 1: involved in political junk in the news, no, just living 553 00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:10,440 Speaker 1: their lives. The one story that consumes everything. It's the 554 00:30:10,480 --> 00:30:13,280 Speaker 1: one story he can't wish away, and he can't scandalize 555 00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:16,200 Speaker 1: it away with a new controversy. So what you see 556 00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:19,320 Speaker 1: from Mari Fleischer and obviously Kelly in Behind Closed Doors 557 00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:21,600 Speaker 1: and all these Republicans in their tweets and their and 558 00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:24,440 Speaker 1: their public comments on TV, is them urging him to 559 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:28,120 Speaker 1: take the virus seriously. It is a one years emergency, 560 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:30,880 Speaker 1: and if he does that, then surely the voters will 561 00:30:30,880 --> 00:30:32,680 Speaker 1: give him a second look. It's really late for him 562 00:30:32,680 --> 00:30:34,400 Speaker 1: to say the virus. Seriously, I beg him to do 563 00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:37,880 Speaker 1: it tonight because we're in Yeah, all right, we'll stay 564 00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:40,760 Speaker 1: on the line. A B and Roger. We got more 565 00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:42,960 Speaker 1: to continue this conversation coming up next. I'm Kevin Sily. 566 00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:53,400 Speaker 1: You're listening to Bloomberg. This is Bloomberg Sound On with 567 00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:57,960 Speaker 1: Kevin Surley on Bloomberg and one oh five point seven 568 00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:02,520 Speaker 1: f M h D two. I love that song. I'm 569 00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:08,000 Speaker 1: Kevin cereally, Chief Washington correspondent from Bloomberg TV and from 570 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:12,600 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Radio. What did I get my dad for his birthday? 571 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:18,120 Speaker 1: He turned seventy next weekend. Let's ask the panel. Let's 572 00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:22,000 Speaker 1: get some ideas. Abe Stoddard A B is a genius 573 00:31:22,440 --> 00:31:26,560 Speaker 1: on politics. Uh and and you know, a consummate insider 574 00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:29,760 Speaker 1: in the nation's capital. She's an associate editor Real Clear Politics. 575 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:33,680 Speaker 1: Roger Fisk Democratic Strategy just longtime President Obama aidan principle 576 00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:35,800 Speaker 1: of New Day's strategy. Here's a funny story I'm going 577 00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:38,480 Speaker 1: to maybe regret telling, but when I first got this 578 00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:43,320 Speaker 1: radio show, um, I was very grateful and one of 579 00:31:43,320 --> 00:31:45,680 Speaker 1: our early guests was both Roger and Ab and my 580 00:31:45,880 --> 00:31:50,000 Speaker 1: father actually was like, Aby's daughter's going on your radio show. 581 00:31:50,040 --> 00:31:52,840 Speaker 1: That's amazing, that's so cool. And I told a B 582 00:31:53,040 --> 00:31:56,080 Speaker 1: this and she's like, no, you know, she's very incredibly humble. 583 00:31:56,800 --> 00:31:59,240 Speaker 1: But a B. What should I get nixt to really 584 00:31:59,320 --> 00:32:04,400 Speaker 1: for his big seven zero? Wow? Maybe a book that 585 00:32:04,440 --> 00:32:07,520 Speaker 1: you're long overdue to, right, go ahead, you know, it's 586 00:32:07,560 --> 00:32:10,160 Speaker 1: so interesting. I highly recommend this book that I read 587 00:32:10,200 --> 00:32:13,640 Speaker 1: in Quarantine by Michael Singer called The Untethered Soul. You know, 588 00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:16,760 Speaker 1: we all had to do a little mindfulness training. Yes, 589 00:32:17,160 --> 00:32:22,000 Speaker 1: we live in the day. I'm stoic, st yes, and 590 00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:24,520 Speaker 1: and I'm reading a little bit about the stoics again. 591 00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:27,960 Speaker 1: So anyway, The Untethered Soul Michael Singer, it's a it's 592 00:32:28,080 --> 00:32:30,640 Speaker 1: it's a it will really open your eye. I actually 593 00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:33,800 Speaker 1: just find it the most helpful um book I've read 594 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:36,479 Speaker 1: of that ilk, you know. And and it's really stayed 595 00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:39,480 Speaker 1: with me um and it's I think it's started to 596 00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:43,960 Speaker 1: calm me down. It's a wonderful, wonderful book. This is 597 00:32:44,080 --> 00:32:45,680 Speaker 1: right up my dad's alley because when I remember he 598 00:32:45,680 --> 00:32:47,120 Speaker 1: would always put us in the car when I was 599 00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:49,280 Speaker 1: a toddler. Maybe I was a loud kid. Hey, who 600 00:32:49,320 --> 00:32:52,000 Speaker 1: would have thought? And he would listen to Stephen Covey, 601 00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:55,040 Speaker 1: remember him, Stephen Covey on tape And I was like 602 00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:58,120 Speaker 1: six years old, and I'm like, no, what are you 603 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:02,600 Speaker 1: listening to? Like, come on, put on Sesame Street, Roger Fist, 604 00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:06,960 Speaker 1: democratic strategies. What do I get? Dad, I'm sending a 605 00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:12,280 Speaker 1: subscription to master classes. That's not my dad. Can my 606 00:33:12,360 --> 00:33:15,120 Speaker 1: dad can barely figure out zoom. I gotta be candid, 607 00:33:15,320 --> 00:33:17,560 Speaker 1: you know, Well, we'll figure this out. Now. It's basically 608 00:33:17,560 --> 00:33:19,640 Speaker 1: just clicking on like a like a YouTube video. It's 609 00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:22,040 Speaker 1: it's it's not really a high fresh hole. Close. It 610 00:33:22,080 --> 00:33:28,160 Speaker 1: will help him get over it. Alright, alright, I'm adding 611 00:33:28,160 --> 00:33:30,520 Speaker 1: into the list. Alright, guys, it's time for my favorite 612 00:33:30,520 --> 00:33:34,080 Speaker 1: part of the show. What is on your What is 613 00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:37,200 Speaker 1: on your radar? Uh? And you know, give me some 614 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:39,840 Speaker 1: foreign policy, give me something nuanced debut. I'm gonna start 615 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:42,720 Speaker 1: with you what's on your radar? Well? I kind of 616 00:33:42,760 --> 00:33:45,640 Speaker 1: thought it's been really interesting to see the new sudden 617 00:33:45,800 --> 00:33:49,800 Speaker 1: urgency with which the administration sees the brutalization of the 618 00:33:49,800 --> 00:33:54,120 Speaker 1: weakers in China. A tweet an hour ago from Nicki Haley, 619 00:33:54,520 --> 00:33:57,120 Speaker 1: Um suddenly blaming the U n for lack of interest 620 00:33:57,200 --> 00:34:00,479 Speaker 1: in human rights in China. It's it's been an amazing thing. 621 00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:03,120 Speaker 1: Is obviously a concerted effort to get Pompeo and bar 622 00:34:03,280 --> 00:34:05,600 Speaker 1: and all the lieutenants at the highest level of the 623 00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:09,000 Speaker 1: Trump administration, but not Trump really himself. He says China virus, 624 00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:11,839 Speaker 1: but he doesn't really come out. He just says things like, oh, 625 00:34:11,880 --> 00:34:13,480 Speaker 1: we have this trade deal, but I'm not really talking 626 00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:16,879 Speaker 1: to them now. Um. But it's always been Trump who 627 00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:19,800 Speaker 1: the administration, who the team has dragged to the table 628 00:34:20,440 --> 00:34:23,760 Speaker 1: on confronting China. He's usually on the phone with g saying, 629 00:34:23,800 --> 00:34:26,120 Speaker 1: you know, help me win an election, re election and 630 00:34:26,440 --> 00:34:28,799 Speaker 1: buy some soybeans. According to John Bolton, and he we 631 00:34:28,880 --> 00:34:31,480 Speaker 1: know what he did to vouch for the Chinese throughout 632 00:34:31,480 --> 00:34:34,040 Speaker 1: the first three months of COVID or so it's going 633 00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:36,359 Speaker 1: to be so interesting in these last less than four 634 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:39,960 Speaker 1: months to see if it ever actually is verbalized by 635 00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:43,200 Speaker 1: the president himself and where they go with this. It's 636 00:34:43,280 --> 00:34:46,239 Speaker 1: it's a great kind of you know, strong man and 637 00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:49,399 Speaker 1: a big thing to you know, rhetorical cudgel. But what's 638 00:34:49,440 --> 00:34:50,920 Speaker 1: it really, you know, what are they really going to 639 00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:52,920 Speaker 1: end up doing. I know there's been a slight movement 640 00:34:53,280 --> 00:34:55,879 Speaker 1: on something South China see in leakers, but since when 641 00:34:55,880 --> 00:34:58,440 Speaker 1: did the administration take this situation in the South Chinnessee 642 00:34:58,560 --> 00:35:01,760 Speaker 1: or or what's happening to the we ms camps seriously 643 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:04,520 Speaker 1: until this summer? Well I'm start by this. Let me 644 00:35:04,560 --> 00:35:06,440 Speaker 1: follow up on this with you a b because Secretary 645 00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:09,480 Speaker 1: of Pompeo I think and now Attorney General William Barr 646 00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:12,680 Speaker 1: have also increased, uh in terms of the policy that 647 00:35:12,719 --> 00:35:16,320 Speaker 1: they could be lobbying against Beijing. They've really increased their rhetoric. 648 00:35:16,360 --> 00:35:19,520 Speaker 1: Pump has been consistent on this, I would argue in 649 00:35:19,600 --> 00:35:23,160 Speaker 1: terms of where his positions are. He's clearly articulated his viewpoint. 650 00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:26,440 Speaker 1: So do you anticipate that there be additional actions that 651 00:35:26,480 --> 00:35:29,919 Speaker 1: are taken even before the election that are largely now nonpartisan. 652 00:35:30,360 --> 00:35:32,319 Speaker 1: So that's what I'll be watching for because in the 653 00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:35,120 Speaker 1: in the end, it's really hard for the China Hawks 654 00:35:35,160 --> 00:35:38,759 Speaker 1: to ever get President Trump to come on board. That's 655 00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:41,879 Speaker 1: what I mean. He's usually the most reluctant. Yeah, very 656 00:35:41,960 --> 00:35:45,960 Speaker 1: very good, Roger fits what's on your radar? Um? I 657 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:47,719 Speaker 1: want to take one or two quick bites at the 658 00:35:47,719 --> 00:35:51,440 Speaker 1: Trump organization since I missed that in the earlier segment. Um, 659 00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:54,040 Speaker 1: you know what their failure in the Tulsa rally was 660 00:35:54,120 --> 00:35:57,000 Speaker 1: not just not filling that stadium, but it was pumping 661 00:35:57,000 --> 00:36:00,279 Speaker 1: those expectations for a week A. I worked in thirty 662 00:36:00,320 --> 00:36:03,040 Speaker 1: states in the first Obama campaign, and unless I had 663 00:36:03,320 --> 00:36:05,840 Speaker 1: headquarters on my back, the better in terms of like 664 00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:07,759 Speaker 1: what I had to do in a given city. So 665 00:36:07,840 --> 00:36:09,720 Speaker 1: the fact that they were willing to hang the CEO 666 00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:12,960 Speaker 1: out to dry as being responsible for what happened in Tulsa, 667 00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:15,320 Speaker 1: it's very interesting. And then to echo and somewhat agree 668 00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:18,440 Speaker 1: with Abes points from earlier, these folks need to understand 669 00:36:18,480 --> 00:36:21,040 Speaker 1: it's not that difficult. This is that the the COVID 670 00:36:21,120 --> 00:36:24,200 Speaker 1: challenge is not a challenge in terms of what they say. 671 00:36:24,239 --> 00:36:26,680 Speaker 1: They keep thinking it's a messaging thing. It's a challenge 672 00:36:26,680 --> 00:36:28,440 Speaker 1: of what they do and if they want to be 673 00:36:28,520 --> 00:36:31,960 Speaker 1: perceived differently, they need to behave differently. And then finally, 674 00:36:32,600 --> 00:36:35,080 Speaker 1: to answer your specific question, what's on my radar screen? 675 00:36:35,320 --> 00:36:37,480 Speaker 1: I am going to wager and I will bet you 676 00:36:37,560 --> 00:36:42,600 Speaker 1: both of beer that by roughly the week following Labor Day, 677 00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:46,200 Speaker 1: especially with Frank Lentzon this equation, there's gonna be data 678 00:36:46,239 --> 00:36:48,560 Speaker 1: put in front of the president that says your only 679 00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:51,719 Speaker 1: path to winning is mail in voting, and you're going 680 00:36:51,760 --> 00:36:55,840 Speaker 1: to hear that tune change very quickly. Wow. Really, so 681 00:36:56,000 --> 00:36:58,399 Speaker 1: you think they're going to change the Trump orbit will 682 00:36:58,480 --> 00:37:03,480 Speaker 1: change their mind on mail in voting if you if 683 00:37:03,520 --> 00:37:05,560 Speaker 1: you can put data in front of the president that 684 00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:08,399 Speaker 1: says your average seven year old in the I four 685 00:37:08,480 --> 00:37:12,359 Speaker 1: corridor Florida is not comfortable leaving their house, They're gonna 686 00:37:12,360 --> 00:37:14,200 Speaker 1: come up with a way for that person to vote. 687 00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:16,520 Speaker 1: And there's only one real way that can be implemented 688 00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:18,919 Speaker 1: between now and then. You're gonna hear that that that's 689 00:37:18,960 --> 00:37:22,640 Speaker 1: just gonna be a one and eighty degrees seismic change. 690 00:37:22,880 --> 00:37:25,680 Speaker 1: And if I'm wrong, then I alway both a here. Well, 691 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:29,480 Speaker 1: that's that's uh, that's that's really really really interesting. All Right, 692 00:37:29,480 --> 00:37:31,359 Speaker 1: here's the thing that's on my radar, and I want 693 00:37:31,360 --> 00:37:33,920 Speaker 1: to get a little wonky for the second. Treasury Secretary 694 00:37:33,960 --> 00:37:37,920 Speaker 1: Stephen Manusian says that the United States should weigh for 695 00:37:38,080 --> 00:37:42,440 Speaker 1: giving small p P loans. Some businesses complained that the 696 00:37:42,480 --> 00:37:46,320 Speaker 1: application process is too long and complicated, and Secretary Manution 697 00:37:46,440 --> 00:37:49,400 Speaker 1: is saying that more targeted help for small business is needed. 698 00:37:49,440 --> 00:37:53,080 Speaker 1: So leamos In and Marctiquette reporting on the Bloomberg terminal 699 00:37:53,120 --> 00:37:56,160 Speaker 1: that the federal government should way for giving all small 700 00:37:56,200 --> 00:38:01,040 Speaker 1: loans provided under the Paycheck Protection Program during the coronavirus pandemic. Wow, 701 00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:03,879 Speaker 1: we should we quote we should consider for giving all 702 00:38:03,920 --> 00:38:07,160 Speaker 1: small loans, but we need fraud protection end quote. Manutians 703 00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:09,800 Speaker 1: said this before the House Small Business Committee earlier today. 704 00:38:09,920 --> 00:38:11,759 Speaker 1: The government has to proved more that you're ready for us. 705 00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:15,279 Speaker 1: They've approved more than four point nine million p p 706 00:38:15,400 --> 00:38:19,680 Speaker 1: P loans that total five hundred and eighteen billion dollars. 707 00:38:19,719 --> 00:38:23,520 Speaker 1: That's as of last night. Now what's fascinating is that 708 00:38:23,560 --> 00:38:26,759 Speaker 1: Secretary Monition doesn't specify what he considers a small loan. 709 00:38:26,960 --> 00:38:30,360 Speaker 1: But for anybody listening, for anyone listening and including our panel, A, 710 00:38:30,440 --> 00:38:32,839 Speaker 1: B and and Roger, you don't have to be a 711 00:38:32,920 --> 00:38:36,120 Speaker 1: rocket scientists to figure out that some of these small 712 00:38:36,120 --> 00:38:39,920 Speaker 1: businesses are they're still waiting for the cash that they 713 00:38:39,960 --> 00:38:43,279 Speaker 1: needed three months ago in order to come. I was 714 00:38:43,600 --> 00:38:49,080 Speaker 1: very very confused. Um that's a neutral word, right, confused 715 00:38:49,280 --> 00:38:51,959 Speaker 1: that based upon my reporting over the past several months, 716 00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:58,319 Speaker 1: there didn't appear to be an either party, a massive, cohesive, organized, 717 00:38:58,400 --> 00:39:02,760 Speaker 1: structured you at the point, it's really soapboxed, concerted effort 718 00:39:03,160 --> 00:39:06,920 Speaker 1: to educate the public and small businesses on how to 719 00:39:07,160 --> 00:39:10,400 Speaker 1: get these small business loans. The big businesses have all 720 00:39:10,440 --> 00:39:14,040 Speaker 1: of the you know, plugged in circles here in Washington, 721 00:39:14,160 --> 00:39:17,560 Speaker 1: d C. But it's those small businesses that they how 722 00:39:17,560 --> 00:39:19,200 Speaker 1: are they supposed to know they were They were trying 723 00:39:19,200 --> 00:39:20,640 Speaker 1: to figure out whether or not they were allowed to 724 00:39:20,640 --> 00:39:24,400 Speaker 1: stay open and comply with with everything. We've got like 725 00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:27,239 Speaker 1: a minute left to hear the side. I don't think 726 00:39:27,280 --> 00:39:30,279 Speaker 1: it's a question of choosing businesses that will will not 727 00:39:30,320 --> 00:39:32,040 Speaker 1: pay back. I think it's they have to go through 728 00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:34,399 Speaker 1: and choose the businesses that they're embarrassed that they gave 729 00:39:34,440 --> 00:39:37,080 Speaker 1: money to. They gave to the Los Angeles Lakers, they 730 00:39:37,120 --> 00:39:39,640 Speaker 1: gave money to play in Parenthood, they gave money to Grinder. 731 00:39:40,040 --> 00:39:42,360 Speaker 1: That's why they want this stuff to go away, because 732 00:39:42,680 --> 00:39:46,160 Speaker 1: it's it's the result of incompetence. Well and and you know, 733 00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:48,200 Speaker 1: and I think it's a it's an we gotta leave 734 00:39:48,239 --> 00:39:50,920 Speaker 1: it there are Aby Saturn, thank you, real associate editor, 735 00:39:51,080 --> 00:39:55,040 Speaker 1: Associate editor, a real clear politics and Roger fist Democratic strategies, 736 00:39:55,080 --> 00:39:58,360 Speaker 1: longtime President Obama AID and principle of New Day Strategy. 737 00:39:58,400 --> 00:40:00,600 Speaker 1: I'm Kevin's Rereley, Chief Washington Course on It fro Bloomberg 738 00:40:00,640 --> 00:40:03,520 Speaker 1: TV and Radio. Have an amazing weekend. Have an amazing weekend. 739 00:40:03,719 --> 00:40:06,480 Speaker 1: Enjoy it unplugged. Thanks for listening to Bloomberg