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Doctor Cured of Ebola Leaves Hospital; Obamacare under Fire as Open Enrollment Nears; George H.W. Bush Honored with Award

Aired November 11, 2014 - 10:30   ET

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


MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: Two weeks ago, Governor Cuomo and I announced a new program to encourage health care professionals, to help address this challenge at its root in West Africa and we're going to support all health care professionals who step forward so we can end this crisis once and for all.

Second, as I've said many times, help the health care professionals of this city. If you're an everyday New Yorker who says "What can I do? Is there anything I can do to help?" Well, you can help support folks who are going to fight the battle at the front. I'm going to tell you about one other thing you can do on that level.

But the other thing you can do is everyday simple thing, get a flu shot. Get a flu shot. It's the simplest thing in the world. Because it will help, you'll not get the flu and that's good to begin with. But it will also help our health care community to not have to spend time looking at symptoms that are just the flu when they're looking for other challenges. If we can take that off the table it will make their lives so much simpler so they can stay attentive to other risks.

And let's just spread truth and honest information about Ebola. Let's get rid of the misinformation. Let's spread the truth that this is a very hard disease to contact. You can't say that enough times. If you every come across someone who's worried tell them the truth and look at Dr. Spencer as an example of someone who shows us. Stay calm, stay focused that's how we get through any crisis.

If anyone in the city however feels that they may have this challenge because they have been to one of the three nations and they have come in contact with someone with the disease, in direct contact with their bodily fluids. If they meet those criteria they should call 911 or go to an emergency room but only if they meet those criteria.

Finally, I just want to note, in the middle of this challenge we have seen a few unfortunate things. And it's our job as New Yorkers to confront that. We've seen some of the good people who work here treated badly. It hasn't been that often but we've heard enough reports to tell us that's wrong. You never discriminate against someone who's helping others. And if we'd just get the conversation back to the truth there is no cause for anyone to be treated with anything but respect and our thanks for serving people in need.

And by the way, our fellow New Yorkers who come from those three West African nations, some of them have been stigmatized. People who are good, hard-working people, going about their lives contributing to our society -- no one should be stigmatized because of where they come from. That is an un-American act and we will embrace all of our fellow New Yorkers.

I said if you want to help, if you want to help fight this disease at its root and that's a battle we can win you can support the extraordinary organizations that are doing this work, one of them Doctors without Borders that sponsored Dr. Spencer's extraordinary work.

The Mayor's Fund to advance New York City chaired by someone I think quite highly of, my wife, our first lady Chirlane McCray. It's working to promote the work of health care workers in West Africa to receive contributions that will go to organizations like Doctors without Borders and UNICEF so we can protect everyone, including the people of this city and this country. So if you want to contribute to the effort, the Mayor's Fund is there to receive your contributions and get them to the incredible organizations that are doing this work.

Before I let you hear from some of the other wonderful people around me, let me just say something in Spanish.

(SPEAKING IN SPANISH)

So in any language it's the same truth. Thank God this is a very difficult disease to contract.

Now I want you to hear from the extraordinary people who supported Dr. Spencer. You're going to have to wait until the end for the main event. But I want you hear -- he will tell you he's not going anywhere until the press conference is over. Then you're free. But the folks here at HHC, the Health and Hospitals Corporation did an amazing job, Bellevue Hospital, the flagship hospital that served in the toughest times and makes all New Yorkers proud --

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: All right. You've been listening to there to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio certainly celebrating the release or soon to be the release of Dr. Craig Spencer. He is Ebola-free.

Elizabeth Cohen still with me now. Elizabeth, what do you make of this news? There he is being called a hero today.

ELIZABETH, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and I think that he -- the mayor did that for a reason. I mean this man has taken -- I'm referring to Dr. Spencer -- a fair amount of grief for what he did when he got home. He didn't know that he had Ebola and he went to a restaurant, to a bowling alley, on the subways and taxis.

And when I was there talking to New Yorkers, a lot of them were very angry and they lost sight of several facts. One, this man went to -- did a selfless act, he went to go help sick people in West Africa, risking his own life.

And number two nobody got sick while he was in New York. I think that's so important to remember. If you think back Randi to sort of the anger that people felt, nobody got sick. In other words the health authorities were right. If you were not physically ill with Ebola, if you're not throwing up or have diarrhea or fever you're not going to get anyone else sick. Guess what? Nobody else got sick and it's been almost 21 days.

KAYE: Yes. I couldn't help but notice that they were hugging him, sort of sending a message to everybody that it's ok, he's not sick, he's Ebola-free.

Elizabeth Cohen, thank you. We will continue to monitor, by the way, this press conference and when Dr. Craig Spencer does speak we hope to bring that to you live right here on CNN. In the meantime, we'll take a very quick break and I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back now. Just days away from the start of open enrollment, a new cloud of uncertainty hangs over Obamacare. The Supreme Court announcing it will hear a case that centers on whether subsidies that make the plan affordable in some 36 states are legal. Those states rely on a federally-run exchange. Plaintiffs say the law only allows subsidies in state-run exchanges. Still, the Secretary of Health and Human Services says not to worry, that those subsidies will still be offered for all Obamacare subscribers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SYLVIA BURWELL, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: I think the most important thing for consumers to know is that nothing has changed. That the tax credits that they'll be signing up for and the ones that they have for those who are enrolled that we want to stay enrolled will be continuing and so as we go into open enrollment, nothing has changed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: But the "Washington Post's" Dana Milbank is sounding a warning writing in part that the Supreme Court's decision to simply hear this case could undermine the law and deter Americans from signing up. Here's to discuss all of this, Maria Cardona, CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist; and Ron Christie, former special assistant to President George W. Bush.

Maria, let me start with you on this one. How vulnerable is the signature legislation of this presidency at this point?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, if we were to hear the opposition's arguments, I think that they hope it's very vulnerable. But look, I think the point here is exactly what Secretary Burwell said is that nothing in this law has changed and I guarantee you that the advocates of the uninsured and the underinsured that are working very, very hard day in and day out to make sure that those communities that they serve understand the law are going to be getting that message out and are going to be ensuring that everybody understands that those subsidies will be available.

And the point here is that the Affordable Care Act has worked for millions and millions of Americans and it will continue to work as people continue to sign up. And the focus of the administration is to make sure that that information goes out and that it goes out to all of those communities that need all of the health care coverage that is now available on the Affordable Care Act.

KAYE: Meanwhile, Ron, you have Mitch McConnell, you have John Boehner -- I mean they're doubling down on the fact that they want to repeal Obamacare. Should the Republicans just maybe stop all of this and let the Supreme Court take care of it?

RON CHRISTIE, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH: Well, no, I don't. I think the American people resoundingly said they were upset at what has happened with Obamacare. They were upset that all the promises that were made were not kept.

Don't forget Randi, last year Politifact said that the number one lie of the year was the President's pledge "if you like your plan you can keep it. If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor." And I think there's a sentiment in Congress that they must continue at least to have a vote and have the opportunity to repeal something that a majority of the American people still don't like.

KAYE: Maria, we know -- go ahead.

CARDONA: I was going to say that I think your viewers need to be aware of a couple things here. Yes, Republicans did well in the midterms when, frankly, only 36 percent of the electorate came out to vote and most of that was the Republican base which was stirred up by the extremists in the Republican Party who all they want to do is repeal Obamacare.

We're going into 2016 now, Randi, when the electorate is going to be much broader, much more diverse, much younger, and much more female -- the exact populations that the Affordable Care Act is helping right now. So good luck, Republicans, to try to chart a course for the White House when they are seen as wanting to take away the health care that millions upon millions of Americans now enjoy.

CHRISTIE: You know, Randi, this is so interesting, we could have won the election if we had more people to come out. We would have been more popular except that we won. The Democrats just don't seem to recognize that they lost in a landslide.

And the second thing that Maria said that I find very interesting here is the Republicans keep trying to take Obamacare away. Well, you know, it takes four justices in the Supreme Court to decide to hear a case. They decided they wanted to hear a case. As a lawyer I can tell you that's a very significant step and it's not Republicans. It's the Supreme Court, the third co-equal branch of government that's weighing in.

KAYE: So Maria, the White House we know also cut the enrollment numbers for 2015 down from 13 million to just under 10 million. The Administration now acknowledging that it will be hard to convince others to sign up. So I mean could the midterms have any impact on those who are still undecided? CARDONA: Well, I think sure, because again the Republican extremists,

all they want to do is talk about repealing Obamacare. And I would absolutely disagree with Ron because if you take a look at the polls, while Obamacare won't win a popularity contest, the majority of Americans still do not want to repeal it. They understand that the protections are there that will help them. They want Congress to fix it.

And so again, you know, Republicans love talking about the 300 bills that are on top of Harry Reid's desk right now that came over from the House. More than 50 of those, Randi, are to try to repeal Obamacare. So again, Republicans want to deny millions of Americans health care coverage while wanting to continue to delay, derail, defund and destroy Obamacare. How about let's work together to try to fix it?

KAYE: Let me let Ron jump in here.

CHRISTIE: Only in a Democrats' America, I would say to you Maria, that when a bill is over 50 percent unpopular underwater that you would say that it's still popular when it isn't. I think the Supreme Court is going to have a landmark opportunity to take a look at this bill. I think it will be invalidated and then the question will become will the states decide to run an exchange or will Obamacare as we see it now cease to exist?

KAYE: We will see.

CARDONA: That's right. And Republicans wanted the Supreme Court --

KAYE: She's just not going to let you have the last word.

CARDONA: They wanted to bat it down last time around and it didn't work so we'll see.

KAYE: All right. Last word -- ok. Thank you both, appreciate it.

CARDONA: Thanks Randi.

KAYE: I know Maria, I know her too well on this stuff. All right. Thank you both.

CARDONA: You do.

KAYE: Nice to see you guys.

All right.

Still to come, they were once leaders of the free world, but maybe more importantly, they will always be father and son. Today an emotional tribute as one former president honors the other. The man he knows as simply "Dad".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Former President George H.W. Bush has been out of office now for more than two decades but time has not diminished his accomplishments. In Texas, Mr. Bush was honored with an award from the European parliament. The prestigious Robert Shulman medal recognizes Bush's role in the fall of the Berlin Wall which happened during his presidency. But a more heartfelt tribute comes in a couple of hours. Former President George W. Bush will talk about his father as he unveils his new book about him.

This morning on the "Today Show," three generations of the Bush family sat down to reminisce.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When I became president, I had discipline enough to ignore all the noise but when he was president and people criticized him I didn't like it.

But it actually helped thicken my hide for when I became president because criticism of my dad was a heck of a lot more difficult for me to handle than criticism of me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What about you though, when you heard people --

GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Same thing. I did not like it. I knew by then that it goes with the territory but it's your own son, it's hard to take.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is at George H.W. Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M University. Suzanne, you covered the younger President Bush for nearly eight years. You've sat down and interviewed his father. You have some good insight, I would imagine, into these men.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's really interesting, Randi, because one of the things that he does in this book is that he talks about so much the things that we asked him about but he wouldn't really talk about it openly and emotionally. Well now, he's got excerpts, he's got stories in this book that address some of those things not only about his father, H.W. Bush, but also about himself. How he overcame sort of obstacles and really grew up and became disciplined.

Has a story in here about a time as a young man when he drunk too much and drove his car up on the neighbor's lawn, faced his mom, went up to his father, his dad who just gave him a stern look and how he was really crushed by that, just disappointing his dad and the lessons learned from that. He also talked as well about his relationship with former President Clinton as well.

We're going to get a lot more of that in the hours to come, Randi, really interesting and very likely to be emotional as well.

KAYE: All right, looking forward to that, Suzanne Malveaux, thank you very much.

We also want to let you know that Dr. Craig Spencer who is being released today from Bellevue Hospital Center in New York, Ebola-free, we are told. There you see him taking the microphone. Let's listen in.

DR. CRAIG SPENCER, EBOLA SURVIVOR: I would especially like too thank Dr. Laura Evans who has -- who has primarily managed my care since I first arrived around has been with me every single day. Today I am healthy and no longer infectious.

My early detection, reporting and now recovery from Ebola speaks to the effectiveness of the protocols that are in place for health staff returning from West Africa. I am a living example of how those protocols work and of how early detection is critical to both surviving Ebola and ensuring that it's not transmitted to others.

While my case has garnered international attention, it is important to remember that my infection represents but a fraction of the more than 13,000 reported cases to date in West Africa, the center of the outbreak where families are being torn apart and communities are destroyed.

It is for this reason that I volunteered to work in Guinea with Doctors without Borders. For over five weeks I worked in an Ebola treatment center in Gekidu (ph) the epicenter of the outbreak. During this time, I cried as I held children who were not strong enough to survive the virus but I also experienced immense joy when patients I treated were cured and invited me into their family as a brother upon discharge.

Within a week of my diagnosis, many of these same patients called my personal cell phone from Guinea to wish me well and ask if there was any way that they could contribute to my care. Most incredibly I watched my Guinean colleagues who have been on the frontline since day one and have seen their friends and family members die as they continue to fight to save the communities, their communities, with so much compassion and dignity. They are the true heroes that we are not talking about.

Please join me in turning our attention back to West Africa and ensuring that medical other volunteers and other aid workers do not face stigma and threats upon their return home. Volunteers need to be supported to help fight this outbreak at its source.

I am immensely thankful for all of the encouragement and support that I have received from my family, so many friends and complete strangers over the past few weeks. In addition I would like to thank my home institution, Columbia University Medical Center, for the unprecedented support I have received from the time I decided to deploy until after my diagnosis.

Lastly, I would like to publicly recognize my incredibly deep appreciation for Doctors without Borders. I cannot begin to mention how well they have helped manage this difficult time for both myself and my family.

KAYE: And there you have it -- a healthy and certainly a very thankful Dr. Craig Spencer. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: So how do you turn a cute pooch into an Internet sensation? CNN's Jeanne Moos shows us a new breed known as the teddy dog.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Is it a Teddy bear? Is it a dog? Is it a Teddy dog?

Her real name is Munchkin. You might have to watch the video a couple times to figure out what's going on. Here's what she normally looks like. Fans are howling over her transformation into a Teddy bear.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, all right. So, that's where we draw the line.

MOOS: Munchkin is an eight-pound Shih Tzu owned by a California accountant named Cindy Roth (ph). It was the Halloween costume Cindy created that catapulted Munchkin to international fame. Oohed and aahed over in various languages, now she's the star of her own Facebook page, where one admirer called her a little creepy, mostly cute.

(on camera): We must ask ourselves a question, was a Teddy bear sacrificed in the making of this outfit?

(voice-over): You betcha. Cindy posted the 11-second video with instructions on how to make the costume, buy a Teddy bear similar to your dog's coloring and cut off the face.

(on camera): This is not nice.

(voice-over): Cut off the bottom of the back feet, cut open the back.

(on camera): Sorry, guy.

(voice-over): Remove most of the stuffing.

(on camera): Leave the stuffing in the arms.

(voice-over): The dog's head goes here, her feet go through Teddy's back legs.

(on camera): Cindy says it took only 15 minutes to make the costume that gave Munchkin more than her 15 minutes of fame.

(voice-over): And yes, those are her real eyelashes. Here's the before and after.

Some say she looks like an ewok from "Star Wars". One blog went so far as to call this California swinger a cross-dresser.

With millions of views already, Munchkin is on her way to kind of fame achieved by Ted the talking Teddy bear.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For some reason, I thought you were going to be taller.

TED THE TEDDY BEAR: I thought you were going to be funnier.

MOOS: There is nothing funny about being a stuffed toy in Munchkin's household.

Run before they yank your stuffing out and you become Munchkin road kill.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: I need to get a teddy dog, I've decided.

All right. Well, thanks so much for joining me today. I'm Randi Kaye.

"@THIS HOUR WITH BERMAN AND MICHAELA" starts right now. Have a great day.