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Florida Zika Fears; Clinton Economic Policy; DNC vs. RNC Ratings. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired July 29, 2016 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00] GOV. RICK SCOTT (R), FLORIDA: This area is about one square mile, and Dr. Phillip will give the exact location a little bit later.

One of these four cases involves a woman and the other three cases involve men. They are all active Zika cases and have not exhibited symptoms to be admitted to the hospital. Again, all these cases are located in south Florida. Here in Orange County and central Florida, there are no active investigations into local transmissions.

Testing of mosquitos in this area has been happening in this area where the small area for about two weeks. While no mosquito traps have tested positive for the Zika virus, the Department of Health is aggressively testing people in the affected area to ensure there are no other cases of this virus. So we've not, as we've tested the mosquitos, there's no - we've not found any mosquitos that we've tested through the traps that have the Zika virus.

The Department of Health will share more details on testing results as they become available. If you live in the impacted area and want to be tested, I urge you to contact the county health department, which stands ready to assist you. The surgeon general, Celeste Phillip (ph), is here, and she can give you more information.

Florida currently has the capacity to test 6,609 people for active Zika virus, and 259 people for Zika antibodies. In total, we have tested 2,329 people across the state. If we need more test kits, we will immediately request them from the CDC.

Since our first travel related case in February, Florida has taken an aggressive approach and committed state and local resources to combat this virus. At the beginning of February, I directed the Department of Health to issue a declaration of public health emergency for the counties of residents with travel associated cases of Zika. This list of counties has grown as new cases are announced. There are now 29 counties included in this declaration. Dr. Phillip and I have hosted multiple conference calls with Florida mosquito control districts across the state to discuss their ongoing preparations, ensure they have all the resources they need to fight the spread of the virus.

I have met with federal leaders in Washington, D.C., and have spoken with HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell and CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden to request more resources for our state. And the surgeon general has participated in tabletop exercises in a variety of things, and done other things. I've also written to President Barack Obama to request preparedness

items for health departments across our state. I used my executive - emergency executive authority to allocate $26.2 million in state funds for Zika preparedness, prevention and response in Florida. Following the confirmation of the first confirmed case of microcephaly in the infant born in Florida, I called in the CDC to host a call with Florida medical professional, and that mother did not contract Zika in this state - or in this - even in this country. So we called on the CDC to host a call with Florida medical professions, including OB/GYNs and physicians specialized in family medicine to discuss their neurological impacts of Zika and what precautions new and expectant mothers should take. This is in addition to an initial call I asked the CDC to conduct in February, which they quickly held.

We've reached out to airport and port directors to ensure they have the resources they need and also hosted Zika preparedness roundtables across multiple Florida counties. I will continue to be in constant communication with state and local leaders. As of now, 28 counties have received funding to combat Zika. And the Department of Health has continued to work with counties to make sure they have the resources they need.

Now that Florida has become the first state to have a local transmission likely through a mosquito, we will continue to put every resource available to fighting the spread of Zika in our state. It has become clear -

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, you're going to break away, but you see disturbing news out of Florida this morning.

With me now on the phone, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

So how concerned should we be about these - about these people who are infected with the Zika virus by mosquito within Florida?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, I will tell you that in some ways these men, for a while, (INAUDIBLE) likely to occur. So mosquitos that carry Zika virus, you know, they live in the United States. We've known that for some time. And they've - they've - I'm sorry, I'm in - I'm just traveling to Salvador, Carol, right now, so there's some people around me who are also hearing this information for the first time.

But the - you're - you know that that is likely to happen. Those same mosquito carry dengue, they carry chikungunya. These are viruses that we've known have spread within the United States. But in very sort of isolated areas, south Florida, south Texas areas where the climate is similar to where we've seen Zika in South America.

[09:35:14] So, again, I think this was expected. We just didn't know when it was likely to occur. Ad it's occurred. I don't think it's going to mean that there's going to be widespread outbreaks of the United States, but it's certainly something that they're going to keep an eye on. South Florida -

COSTELLO: Well, here is - GUPTA: South Texas, (INAUDIBLE) are going to be the greatest concern.

COSTELLO: Here's the - here's the thing, Sanjay. The FDA has asked that all blood donations stop in parts of Florida. That sounds serious.

GUPTA: Well, you know, that's exactly right, and it's a precautionary step. You want the -- they've been doing a few things that are pretty interesting. One is the blood donation. And one is the - is also the samples, they've been going door-to-door, literally trying to find out if there's evidence for infection among people within these areas. But they want to, you know, they want to try and protect the blood supply as much as possible. And that's what - that's what's happening here. They're going to screen that blood. They're going to make sure that people who are at risk for Zika, either that traveled to these countries, aren't bringing it back.

The blood is still screened, Carol. I just want to make that point. That regardless of whether you've declared or you travel history, that you've been in one of these countries, the blood is still screened. And that's, obviously, going to be the most important (INAUDIBLE) step.

COSTELLO: All right, Sanjay Gupta, I'll let you get back to it. Thanks so much.

But, again, if you're just joining us, the Florida Department of Health is conducting an investigation into a possible non-travel related case of the Zika virus in Miami Dade County and in Broward County. You heard Governor Rick Scott say they're investigating illnesses in at least four people. And for right now the FDA has asked all blood donations to stop in parts of Florida.

Of course we'll continue covering this story for you. I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:41:07] COSTELLO: One San Diego police officer is dead and another is in the hospital but he is expected to survive following surgery earlier this morning. The two officers were shot during a traffic stop late last night.

CNN's Paul Vercammen is covering this live for us in Los Angeles.

Good morning.

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Let me try to give you the timeline on this according to the San Diego police chief, that's Shelley Zimmerman. Carol, they say that these two officers were responding at about 11:00 last night and all of a sudden they make the stop and they must have known something was up immediately because they requested emergency cover. Then the other officers come to the scene and they find these two officers have both been shot in the torso. One of those police officers puts the most - more seriously shot of the two officers in his vehicle, races him to the hospital, but that officer dies. As you pointed out, the second officer, the police chief tweeting out not long ago that that officer is expected to survive, exclamation point.

There is one suspect in custody. They found him in an open area, or a ravine not too far from there. They're not so sure if there is a second shooter or suspect involved.

Very emotional moments today, this morning, in San Diego. The police chief, you could see she was visibly shaken, swallowing hard, and she described what it was like to have to go and knock on a fallen officer's family's door. It's a wife and two children who survive his shooting. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF SHELLEY ZIMMERMAN, SAN DIEGO POLICE: There's nothing that prepares you to do that. It is extremely difficult. You can imagine early in the morning, when a chief knocks on a door of a family member.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: And the suspect, again, described as a Hispanic male, adult. They will have a press conference a little later this morning, Carol, to tell us more about this shooting.

Both these officers, by the way, were part of a gang suppression unit, and the chief stopped short of calling this any sort of ambush, for now at least, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Paul Vercammen reporting live for us this morning. Thank you.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, one word, "economy." Who has the plan that will win over voters?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:47:30] COSTELLO: Vice Presidential Nominee Tim Kaine is opening up about Hillary Clinton's historic nomination. Earlier today, Kaine spoke to CNN's Alisyn Camerota, who asked him what he said to Clinton when he walked on stage last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TIM KAINE (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: What I said to her, as I walked out and when we, you know, first clasped hands in front is I said, it is a great country and you just made it a lot greater. That was - those were the words that I said to her.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, ANCHOR, CNN'S NEW DAY: Secretary Clinton had to follow some impressive speakers and speeches. Obviously President Obama spoke, Vice President Biden, Michelle Obama. How do you think her speech compared? KAINE: You know, I thought the speech was really great because not

only did she have to follow a lot of tough speeches, but the thing that I thought was - was great is it set such a contrast with what we saw in Cleveland last week. It - the Cleveland convention was dark and depressing, and she said it was kind of midnight in America.

And her speech was morning in America. It was about the everyday struggles that people have, but the fact that we don't have a single issue in this country that our people can't tackle because we have the greatest pool of just human resources, human capital, human talent that any nation has ever had. And so I felt like it was fundamentally very upbeat, but not upbeat in generalities. I mean she's got, you know, a set of very concrete plans around things like, you know, career and technical training and debt free college, job investment, protecting and expanding health care. And she went into those in details. And you know what she said, some people say I'm too focused on details, but if it's about your kid, it's not a detail, it's a big deal. And that was one of the biggest applause lines of the night and that was very true to her.

CAMEROTA: Senator, how about that Muslim dad of the fallen soldier who talked about his son and had the Constitution in his pocket? Are you - do you plan to use that dad on the campaign trail?

KAINE: Alisyn, you know what, as you asked me that question, I'm getting goose bumps on my arm. That was probably one of the most moving events of the entire four days when he talked about his son. I got a - I got a boy in the Marines, and so I hear somebody who's sacrificed a child in military service and it really grabs you. But he said two things. He looked in the camera and basically addressed Donald Trump directly and said, you have sacrificed nothing.

Remember, Donald Trump is a guy who calls the American military a disaster and even makes fun of POWs like John McCain. But when he pulled out that Constitution and held it out and said, Donald Trump, I don't think you've read the American Constitution, and if you want I'll lend you my copy, that was just an absolutely electric moment in the building and I suspect that it was electric for everybody watching it on television.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[09:50:12] COSTELLO: Tim Kaine and Hillary Clinton wasting no time this morning. They hit the campaign trail. In pair will be in Pennsylvania today and they're, of course, going after the blue collar vote. Last night, Hillary Clinton made the case for her economic plan. With me now to talk about that is CNN political commentator and political anchor of Time Warner Cable News, Errol Louis, and Karyn Bruggeman, political analyst for "The National Journal."

Welcome to both of you.

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Good morning.

So, Errol -

KARYN BRUGGEMAN, POLITICAL ANALYST, "NATIONAL JOURNAL": Good morning.

COSTELLO: Good morning, Karyn.

Errol, Clinton has embraced a progressive agenda. She wants to institute tuition free education. She wants to overturn Citizens United. She wants to raise the minimum wage. She wants to expand Social Security. Will that resonate with moderate voters?

LOUIS: I believe so. The approach that she was using is one that worked for her husband and that has worked for Democrats for quite a long time, which is to sort of go down a laundry list of interests and sort of promise each group what it is that they are most interested in. There was a big push during the entire convention around the rights or the needs of the disabled. So they're talking about funding Alzheimer's program. Something that is a huge and devastating program that doesn't get a lot of - or need, that doesn't get a lot of attention. And, you know, you can just kind of go almost county by county, they're trying to scoop up millions and millions of voters and talk to each of those voters with a plan, a program, a connection, an empathetic connection in part to sort of offset some of the issues that she's had with voters saying that they don't trust her.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

LOUIS: So, you know, the story over and over again for this campaign and for this party is to say, you may not like us, you may not agree with us on everything, but we've got something that could be of use to you and we care about you and that's why you should vote for us.

COSTELLO: So, Karyn, Mrs. Clinton also made no bones about how she would pay for these things, right? She said, I'm going to raise taxes on the rich. She just came right out and said it. Is that wise?

BRUGGEMAN: Yes, she didn't go into too many details about how she would actually pay for all the programs that she was proposing last night beyond wanting to raise taxes on the rich and close corporate tax holes. But I think the real contrast she was trying to strike was with Donald Trump, who got criticized last week at the Republican Convention for not offering any specifics about how he would create jobs, how he would actually help working people. Today he was criticized for stoking fear. Clinton spoke in much more optimistic terms. So I think her goal last night was to lay out specific plans, but she didn't talk too much about the details of how she would pay for them. And with those plans, she even kind of jokingly mocked herself about how she likes details, she likes plans, and she's trying to strike a contrast with Trump that she's prepared, that she's qualified, and that she's going to have specific plans and policies that will actually help people and she's not just talking in the broad generalities that we hear from Donald Trump.

COSTELLO: OK, so Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine are going to be in Pennsylvania today, in Ohio tomorrow.

Errol, she talked about bad trade deals last night too. But - but then again she was for TPP before she was against it. So how can she effectively sell that to spectacle voters?

LOUIS: Well, I may be biased though because I sat near the California delegation, where there was a huge contingent of Bernie Sanders supporters who kept holding up these signs saying "no TPP." They are not going to be convinced by anything. They will not take "yes" for an answer. It seems to me pretty clear that Hillary Clinton is backing away from her support of TPP, a set of treaties ultimately that she helped negotiate and had vocally supported. She's a free trade Democrat. She had been for her entire career. She's now moderated. She's changing. She's evolving her positions and putting little caveats into her support saying, if I can't get this or if it's going to hurt jobs, I'll pull the plug on it. That, to me, in effect, is signaling to voters that she's willing to throw the whole thing overboard in part to take an issue away from Donald Trump, in part because she may have been persuaded by Bernie Sanders. It's been politically more of a headache than she wants to try and continue to fight for. So I think - I don't like TPP's chances under a President Clinton if she should win.

COSTELLO: All right, I have to leave it there. Errol Louis, Karyn Bruggeman, thanks to both of you.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, two presidential conventions in the history books, but which party walked away with more viewers?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:58:43] COSTELLO: The numbers are in and with bragging rights at stake for now, well, who won the big convention ratings race?

Brian Stelter is here.

Because, as you know, Donald Trump asked people not to watch Hillary Clinton's speech.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: That's right. This time yesterday he sent out a fundraising e-mail to supports saying, don't watch Hillary's speech. Donate to my campaign instead. I'm sure both Clinton and Trump want to know the results of this ratings race. And, right now, it's too early to call. It's too close to call. It's too soon to tell. It's kind of like an election night in America, Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh! I'm dying to know, Brian.

STELTER: It looks like now Hillary Clinton has basically the same audience. Trump had 32 million viewers this time last week for his acceptance speech. The early overnights are basically the same for Clinton, so we won't know for sure until early this afternoon.

Either way, what an important night for Hillary Clinton, her biggest forum yet. There were moments where it really did humanize her. I thought the balloons falling, her reactions to the fireworks on stage, it was kind of made to be gift, made to be mimed, and we're already seeing those kind of going viral this morning online. Lots of people, of course, are going to be watching this speech on YouTube and watching in the days to come. But in terms of that live TV ratings race, it looks like Clinton -- Clinton and Trump are basically tied, which -

COSTELLO: Just for the final night, though. So over the whole four days?

STELTER: Well, over the - over the first three days, the Democrats had a clear advantage over the Republicans in the ratings race. We'll see about night four. It looks like it was closer on night four. Maybe that tell us something about the polls. You know, on Monday, we're going to start to see those post-convention polls. So we'll see if Clinton got a bounce.

[10:00:10] COSTELLO: We'll see. Brian Stelter, thanks so much.

STELTER: Thanks.

COSTELLO: The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.