>> THAT WAS NBC’S MIGUEL
ALMAGUER.
AS MIGUEL MENTIONED, CALIFORNIA
LEADS THE NATION IN THE NUMBER
OF CORONAVIRUS CASES.
THE EPICENTER IS LOS ANGELES
COUNTY.
>> CONGRESS MEMBER KAREN BASS
REPRESENTS MANY PARTS OF LA, AND
SHE’S ALSO THE CHAIR OF THE
CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS.
SHE JOINS US NOW FROM
WASHINGTON.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME THIS
MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ON.
>> LET’S GET RIGHT TO IT.
WE LEARNED CALIFORNIA’S
CONFIRMED CORONAVIRUS CASES HAVE
NOW SURPASSED NEW YORK FOR THE
MOST IN THE NATION.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS BEHIND THIS
SURGE?
>> YOU KNOW, THAT’S THE SAD
THING ABOUT IT.
I MEAN, JUST LIKE YOU REPORTED,
CALIFORNIA WAS ONE OF THE FIRST
STATES TO BE VERY AGGRESSIVE.
YOU REALLY CAN’T WALK ANYWHERE
IN LOS ANGELES, IN ANY KIND OF
PUBLIC BUILDING, AND NOT SEE
EVERYONE WITH THEIR FACE
COVERED.
SO I THINK IT’S JUST AN EXAMPLE
AS TO HOW CHALLENGING THIS VIRUS
IS.
I BELIEVE THE ANALYSIS SO FAR IS
SAYING THAT, IN SOME PLACES, WE
OPENED UP A LITTLE TOO SOON.
AS YOU KNOW, WE’VE REALLY NOT
EXACTLY KNOWN HOW TO DO THIS.
SO WHAT I DO FEEL VERY POSITIVE
ABOUT, THOUGH, IS THAT THE
LEADERSHIP ON EVERY LEVEL, THE
GOVERNOR, THE COUNTIES, THE
CITIES -- WELL, THERE ARE A FEW
EXCEPTIONS -- ARE REALLY
RESPONDING AGGRESSIVELY.
LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY, THEY
ARE PROMOTING EVERYONE GO BACK
TO SCHOOL WITHOUT SOCIAL
DISTANCING AND WITHOUT MASKS.
OUR STATE NEEDS TO BE UNIFIED
AND NEEDS TO LISTEN TO THE
LEADERSHIP IN THE STATE.
>> LOS ANGELES MAYOR ERIC
GARCETTI WARNED THE CITY IS
CLOSE TO RETURNING TO SOME TYPE
OF STAY AT HOME ORDER.
DO YOU THINK THAT WILL HAPPEN?
WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT WOULD
LOOK LIKE?
WOULD RESIDENTS BE ON BOARD WITH
THAT?
>> WELL, ONE THING IS THAT I
KNOW IF THE SCIENCE SHOWS IT’S
NEEDED, THE MAYOR WILL HAVE US
CLOSE DOWN AGAIN.
I KNOW THAT.
I KNOW THAT HE WILL BE DRIVEN BY
SCIENCE.
I THINK THAT IT WILL BE VERY
STRESSFUL FOR EVERYONE, BUT I DO
THINK THAT PEOPLE WILL
COOPERATE.
WE’RE NOT GOING TO HAVE THE
CHALLENGES LIKE YOU DO IN OTHER
CITIES, WHERE YOU HAVE A
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MAYOR
AND, SAY, PEOPLE ON THE CITY
COUNCIL, WHERE YOU HAVE
CONFLICTING VIEWPOINTS, AND
WHERE IT IS DRIVEN BY POLITICS.
I DO NOT BELIEVE IT WILL BE
DRIVEN BY POLITICS.
I BELIEVE IT WILL BE DRIVEN BY
SCIENCE.
IT WILL BE CHALLENGING AND
DIFFICULT FOR EVERYONE.
>> LET’S PIVOT HERE JUST FOR A
MOMENT.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE GET THIS
IN.
WE JUST LOST A CIVIL RIGHTS
ICON, CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS.
HE PASSED AWAY.
YOU SPOKE ABOUT HOW THE BEST WAY
TO HONOR HIS LEGACY, IN YOUR
OPINION, IS TO ENACT THE VOTING
RIGHTS ACT, WHICH THE HOUSE
PASSED IN DECEMBER.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT?
WHAT DO YOU THINK JOHN LEWIS
WOULD SAY ABOUT IT?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
LET ME TAKE A MOMENT TO
ACKNOWLEDGE VIVIAN.
WE REALLY LOST TWO MAJOR CIVIL
RIGHTS LEADERS IN ONE DAY.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> OF COURSE, MR. LEWIS, I HAD
THE HONOR OF SERVING WITH HIM
FOR TEN YEARS.
I KNOW THAT HE WOULD WANT US NOT
JUST TO PASS THE VOTING RIGHTS
ACT THAT WE DID, THAT IS
LANGUISHING OVER IN THE
SENATE -- BECAUSE YOU KNOW WE
PASSED IT IN THE HOUSE OVER 200
DAYS AGO -- BUT WE ACTUALLY NEED
TO AUGMENT THAT NOW.
WE PASSED THAT WAY BEFORE
CORONAVIRUS.
NOW, WE HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT
SAFETY AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN
ADDITION TO JUST TYPICAL VOTER
SUPPRESSION.
SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT
PEOPLE CAN VOTE SAFELY.
THE VOTE IS TO VOTE FROM HOME.
WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THE VIRUS
IS NOT USED AS A VOTER
SUPPRESSION STRATEGY.
SO I WOULD ASK THE
ADMINISTRATION, WHAT IS THE
ADMINISTRATION STRATEGY TO MAKE
SURE THAT WE HAVE FULL DEMOCRACY
IN THE UNITED STATES?
WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE
LEADING DEMOCRACY IN THE WORLD.
WELL, IF THAT’S THE CASE, OF
COURSE WE WANT EVERY SINGLE
PERSON THAT IS ELIGIBLE TO VOTE
TO VOTE.
I WANT TO KNOW, WHAT IS THE
ADMINISTRATION’S STRATEGY?
I ALSO WANT TO KNOW, WHAT IS THE
ADMINISTRATION’S STRATEGY TO
ADDRESS THE VIRUS, AS WELL.
HAVING A STRATEGY OF DENIAL IS
NOT GOING TO MAKE IT GO AWAY.
>> ANOTHER BIG STORY, OBVIOUSLY,
THIS MORNING, JOE BIDEN HAS SAID
HE IS COMMITTED TO PICKING A
FEMALE RUNNING MATE.
YOU ARE REPORTEDLY ONE OF FOUR
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN BEING
CONSIDERED.
IF HE WERE TO CHOOSE YOU, WHAT
DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD BRING TO
THE TICKET?
ON THAT NOTE, IF IT EVER CAME TO
IT, ARE YOU CONFIDENT THAT YOU
HAVE THE SKILLS TO STEP INTO THE
ROLE OF PRESIDENT?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, LET ME
JUST SAY THAT WHATEVER THE
CAMPAIGN DOES, AND ESPECIALLY
VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN DOES, WHO
BETTER KNOWS WHAT A RUNNING MATE
SHOULD BE THAN A PERSON WHO WAS
A RUNNING MATE AND WHO SERVED IN
THAT POSITION FOR EIGHT YEARS.
I THINK THAT THE VICE PRESIDENT
WILL PICK A PARTNER, WILL PICK
SOMEONE THAT WILL HELP HIM HEAL
THIS COUNTRY, AND WILL PICK
SOMEONE THAT WILL SERVE WITH HIM
IN A SIMILAR FASHION, AS TO HOW
HE SERVED WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA.
WHOEVER HE PICKS -- OF COURSE, I
WAS VERY EXCITED WHEN HE MADE
THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT HE WAS
BEGINNING TO PICK A WOMAN
BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE HISTORIC.
WHOEVER HE PICKS, I’M SURE THEY
WILL BE A GREAT PARTNER.
WHATEVER I CAN DO TO MAKE SURE
THAT HE GETS ELECTED, WITH
WHOEVER HE CHOOSES, I WILL BE
RIGHT THERE ON THE FRONT LINES.
AND WHEN HE IS SWORN IN IN
JANUARY, I WILL DO EVERYTHING I
CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT HIS
PRESIDENCY IS SUCCESSFUL.
JUST THINK ABOUT IT.
THERE IS THE POTENTIAL -- I
MEAN, YOU REPORTED ON THE
UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS -- THERE IS
THE POTENTIAL THAT OUR ECONOMY
DOESN’T GET BETTER AND, IN FACT,
GETS WORSE.
I WOULD HATE TO THINK THAT HE
WOULD ENTER HIS PRESIDENCY WHEN
WE’RE ON THE VERGE -- OR IN THE
MIDDLE OF A DEPRESSION.
BUT EVEN THEN, HE WILL BE READY
FOR IT BECAUSE JUST THINK ABOUT
THE ECONOMY THAT WE HAD IN 2009,
WHEN HE ENTERED THE PRESIDENCY.
SO I KNOW HE WILL BE BEST
EQUIPPED TO GET US OUT OF THIS,
BECAUSE I KNOW HE WILL RELY ON
SCIENCE AND NOT ON MAGICAL
THINKING.
>> WE WERE ABLE TO SQUEEZE A LOT
OF TOPICS IN THERE THIS MORNING.
REPRESENTATIVE BASS, THANK YOU