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2020 Race: The Midweek Grades With Chris Cillizza; Felicity Huffman And Lori Loughlin To Appear In Court Today; Record Low Admission Rates In Wake Of Cheating Scandal; State Senator Says Deadly School Fight Was "Small Scuffle." Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired April 03, 2019 - 07:30   ET

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

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[07:33:42] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, a lot of headlines in the 2020 race this week. It is Wednesday, so let's get the midweek grades with Chris Cillizza, "CNN POLITICS" reporter and editor-at-large.

Teacher, professor, we are ready for the grades. Are you starting at the top of the class?

CHRIS CILLIZZA, REPORTER AND EDITOR-AT-LARGE, CNN POLITICS: Let's start at the top of the class. I forgot to wear my patches on my tweed --

CAMEROTA: On your tweed jacket.

CILLIZZA: Yes, exactly. I'm sure Berman has one of those.

OK, here we go.

With an A, Bernie Sanders and I'll tell you why. Well, I'll give you 18.2 million reasons why. Bernie Sanders raised $18.2 million over 500,000 individual contributions, 900,000 -- excuse me, contributors -- 900,000 contributions, $20.00 average.

This is a guy who raised over $200 million in the 2016 campaign -- we forget that. He's going to be, I think, the fundraising frontrunner. And you have to show and prove it, and he did -- A.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Eighteen million dollars is a lot of money. I endorse the A grade here.

CILLIZZA: Oh.

BERMAN: I will say though that if you're grading on 2016 terms --

CILLIZZA: Yes.

BERMAN: -- the 2016 curve, I was surprised. Hillary Clinton was, what, $47 million --

CILLIZZA: Yes. BERMAN: -- at this point. Then, Barack Obama, even in 2008, raised more in his first quarter.

So, $18 million is a ton of money and Bernie Sanders did well by raising it, but is it breaking records?

[07:35:00] CAMEROTA: It's not Berman money.

CILLIZZA: Yes, and just quickly -- just quickly, it's not Berman- style money, no.

BERMAN: No.

CILLIZZA: Just quickly on that point John, remember there is some level of fighting a fight with one hand behind your back because a lot of these people, Bernie Sanders included, have sworn off the sort of major donor work that Clinton, Obama in '08, Edwards -- I mean, they all did this, right?

And so I think you're seeing these are people who can raise money in small increments. Now, I think people like that idea. Well, $20.00 is the average contribution, but it takes a lot of $20.00 to get to $18 million as opposed to $2,800.

BERMAN: Don't I know it.

CILLIZZA: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Great point.

OK, next report card. Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe -- is he getting in the race?

CILLIZZA: Yes. So we -- Alisyn, we haven't mentioned him in the grades yet that we've done these past weeks and I thought it was worth mentioning for two reasons. One, I do think he's probably getting in the race. We've got a bunch of sources suggesting he will -- he's moving toward it.

And I give him a B because my view before this week was what's his -- where does he go, right? Sort of a centrist, pragmatic governor with ties to the Clintons.

Joe Biden, who we're going to talk about a little later in a less favorable light on these midweek grades -- Joe Biden's stumbling creates an opportunity, honestly, for Terry McAuliffe. I don't know if he emerges but I at least could see some space by which McAuliffe could make the race. I think that merits a B.

BERMAN: You're going to have to wait for the Biden news.

CILLIZZA: That's right.

BERMAN: In the meantime, there is someone earning a C.

CILLIZZA: Yes. So, this is a C trending downward and it's Elizabeth Warren. Look, we don't know how much money she raised in the first quarter yet. She has not announced it which, honestly, usually is not a great sign.

And there's a couple of other things that are not ideal here. She only raised $300,000 in her first 24 hours as a candidate. Remember, Beto O'Rourke, $6.1 million; Bernie Sanders, $5.9 million in that first 24 hours.

Then there's the fact that her finance director for her campaign left in the last day of the quarter because -- we talked about this, John -- because she is not going to do any calls, any events with major donors who can give you the maximum amount and take and bundle a bunch of other money.

I worry that her number is not going to be all that good. It may look OK because she has $11 million in her Senate account that she can move over, and so the number may look OK. But look at how much she has raised as a presidential candidate, and I worry it's a C trending towards a C minus.

CAMEROTA: But does she get cover by saying I'm playing by a different set of rules that she believes are more ethical from not getting all those bundled money?

CILLIZZA: Maybe to a certain extent Alisyn, but my view on campaign money is all spends the same, right? So people always say things like oh, that person's self-funding. You know, it doesn't -- when you run the T.V. ads or hire the -- build the organization out, it doesn't -- it doesn't cost different money because it's your own money.

And if Elizabeth Warren doesn't have as much money to build an Iowa organization or a New Hampshire organization or South Carolina organization as some of the better-financed candidates, her moral stand on big donors I don't think wins her the race.

BERMAN: All right. There is someone with a D.

CILLIZZA: Yes.

BERMAN: You teased it before. Go ahead.

CILLIZZA: Yes. So I'm resistant to giving -- I haven't doled out an F yet and as I've said to you guys before it's because of my checkered academic history. I'm loathed to do so. But this is the one that I thought came the closest out of the weeks we've done this.

Look, Biden is someone who still isn't in the race and he has now endured a week -- and I think it's going to be longer -- of really, really bad press as it relates to something that he can't change, which is he is a sort of touchy-feely guy. He's a hugger, he's a massager of shoulders of men and women. That's who he has always been.

He is a 76-year-old man who has been in the public eye for a very long time. Well, times change and now all of that Biden stuff that -- his allies always said oh, he's an old-timer. That is just Joe being Joe. Well, it's coming out more and more that not everybody, including

people who are not necessarily unfavorable disposed to him, just didn't feel comfortable with how he's behaving. I think it's a big problem in the race.

I think it does a couple of things. One, it ties right into the #MeToo movement. And two, it highlights the fact that he is a creature of another time, and that is -- even if he gets through the other stuff, that is problematic for him.

So, a D, but you could have done an F.

CAMEROTA: I mean, he may be able to change. He just hasn't come out publicly and talked about what his plan is for change.

CILLIZZA: Yes. So, Alisyn, my point is he absolutely could from now forward. The problem is there's 35 or 40 years of behavior like this. So he can say yes, OK, I didn't realize it then.

But there's going to be that undercurrent throughout, even if today or last week he says I will always -- like Nancy Pelosi advised him -- act as though the person has a cold, right? Stay a healthy distance away from them. Even if he does that there's a lot of water under that bridge already.

BERMAN: Chris Cillizza, tough grader. Tough, but fair. Thank you for being with us.

CILLIZZA: Tough, but fair. That's what I go for.

[07:40:00] Thank you, Mr. Berman. Thank you, Alisyn.

BERMAN: It all spins the same.

CAMEROTA: Thank you.

BERMAN: It all spins the same.

CAMEROTA: Yes. You can vote for a rich candidate or a poor candidate, as my grandmother was --

BERMAN: It all spins the same.

CAMEROTA: Just kidding. She never said that.

Meanwhile, coming up in just --

BERMAN: She was born in Germany, right?

CAMEROTA: Oh my gosh.

Coming up in just minutes, we'll speak with Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro about his immigration plan. It's very interesting and very different.

BERMAN: All right. Two actresses appearing in a Boston courtroom today over their involvement in the college admissions scandal. We have a live report. It's a big day there, next.

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BERMAN: Actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin will appear in a Boston courtroom today where they may enter pleas in the largest college admission scheme in U.S. history.

CNN's Brynn Gingras is live outside the Joe Moakley Courthouse in Boston with the very latest -- Brynn.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John.

Yes, Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin really have become the faces of this entire admissions scheme. I can tell you that there is media lined up all along the street waiting for their 2:30 court appearance.

Let's quickly recap what they're accused of doing with this scheme.

Felicity Huffman accused of paying $15,000 to alter the scores of her daughter to get into college. She researched a way to do it for her second daughter but never went through with a plan.

We don't know if we'll see William H. Macy, her husband, here in court. He was mentioned in the criminal complaints but he was not charged in the case.

[05:45:01] As far as Lori Loughlin, her and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, are accused of paying $500,000 to get their two daughters into USC as crew recruits, even though neither of them ever rowed in that sport.

But they are just two-three people accused in this case that are going to appear in court today of about 13 parents in all who will appear before a judge.

And really, we get a sense of how they might defend themselves against these charges. That's what we've seen with other parents because let's remember, they're only charged in a criminal complaint at this point. It's possible an indictment can come down or more charges for these parents in this case -- John and Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: All right, please keep up posted, Brynn. This is certainly a story that has gotten the country's attention.

Joining us now is Julie Lythcott-Haims. She is the former dean at Stanford University and author of "How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success." Dean, great to see you again.

We first spoke to you when news of this admission scandal first broke and now we've have a couple of weeks. So I'm just wondering what your perspective is now and if you think that this admission scandal -- the lengths that these parents were willing to go to are connected to how hard it has become to get your kids into college this year?

JULIE LYTHCOTT-HAIMS, FORMER DEAN, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, AUTHOR, "HOW TO RAISE AN ADULT: BREAK FREE OF THE OVERPARENTING TRAP AND PREPARE YOUR KID FOR SUCCESS": I think the scandal is simply the latest evidence that some of the wealthiest among us will basically buy their way into the future they want for their kids or for themselves.

But unfortunately, their behavior has contributed to the misperception that there are a limited number of spots for people applying to college. I mean, that is -- there's a frenzy out there that really needs to be tamped down and here's what's happening.

It's not that there are more kids applying to college these days.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: That number is staying pretty constant. It's not that there are fewer spots, it's that more and more applicants are applying to more and more schools and so it creates the perception that it's impossible to get in.

If we could cap the number of schools a student could apply to -- right now, it's really unlimited. If we could cap the number at, say, seven or 10 we would instantly see admission rates at all of these schools go up.

CAMEROTA: But, Dean, I want to challenge you on that for a second because the numbers do seem striking in terms of the acceptance rate this year at the elite universities.

For instance, Yale has an acceptance of 5.9, OK? That's the amount of students that they accept out of the applicants -- out of the 36,000 applicants.

At Stanford, your university, 4.3 percent are accepted. That is lower than when you and I were applying to college.

LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: It's lower because twice as many people are applying to -- say, so you apply to Yale. If Yale has 40,000 applicants they still only have 2,000 spots, right? That admission rate is going to be lower than if Yale had 20,000 applicants.

My point is that students are applying to so many different -- every -- put it this way. Every student can only take one spot, OK? So if Yale had 100,000 applicants the admission rate would go even lower.

But it's not that there are 100,000 more kids looking for spots. It's not that there are 100,000 more applicants. It's that each kid is applying to too many schools, OK?

CAMEROTA: Yes, that's helpful. I hear you and I think that that makes sense. But hasn't it gotten harder to get into college than it was when you and I were 18 and trying to get into college?

LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: It hasn't gotten harder. There are plenty of great schools in the United States of America, OK? The problem is that most of us don't realize that there are so many options and so many great schools. We have this sense of scarcity that isn't true.

"U.S. News" tends to report on the top 20 or the top 50 when in actuality there are 2,800 accredited 4-year schools in America.

There is a Gallup poll in 2014 that showed that when it comes to whether a person feels they are thriving in every aspect of their life, from finances to intellectual development to their friendships to a sense of community, it doesn't matter whether that person went to one of the top 100 schools or the bottom 100 schools.

What matters is whether faculty cared about them in college -- whether they had a mentor. And that kind of mentoring from faculty is available across the board. It's available at all the schools everyone has heard of --

CAMEROTA: Yes.

LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: -- and at all the rest of the schools. Schools with smaller brand names --

CAMEROTA: Yes.

LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: -- where you can get a fantastic education.

CAMEROTA: That's a really important message.

LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: So --

CAMEROTA: I think that that's a really important message --

LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: Yes.

CAMEROTA: -- because people do attach, obviously, too much status to the Ivy Leagues and to just the top schools.

However, one more question. Has it become too easy to apply to college with the common application? You know --

[07:50:04] LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: Well, that's what I'm saying.

CAMEROTA: I mean, we had to do a separate --

LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: Exactly.

CAMEROTA: -- essay -- one or two for each different application that we did back then in the olden days. And now, has it become too easy for kids to apply?

LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: Alisyn, this is my point, OK? When you and I were applying, it just wasn't heard of that students would apply to 20 schools. Now you hear that quite commonly, which has artificially increased the apparent selectivity of schools. They have to deny more applicants because way too many people are applying to way too many schools. The common app is a wonderful thing when it comes to providing access to kids who are in underserved communities who might not otherwise really have the information available to them about how to apply and various schools that you can apply to. So it's given access to kids at one end of the spectrum.

At the other end of the spectrum, the common app has made it so easy for kids who can afford it to just apply, apply, apply, apply to that many more schools -- really, with the touch of a button. It cost more money but in terms of effort -- the amount of effort doesn't really increase.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: Let me say this. I'm a -- I'm a graduate of a highly-selective college --

CAMEROTA: Yes.

LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: -- and I'm proud to say that my son is a small liberal arts college many people haven't heard of -- Reed College in Portland.

There are plenty of great schools and the more we can widen our blinders as parents and look at them, the more sane our family life will be.

CAMEROTA: That is a very great message. Thanks so much for all of the perspective. You know it well.

Dean Julie Lythcott-Haims, thank you.

LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: Appreciate it, Alisyn. Thank you.

CAMEROTA: John --

BERMAN: "INSIDE EDITION" host Deborah Norville is out of surgery following a cancer scare. How one of her viewers helped spot the trouble. That's next.

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[07:55:49] BERMAN: A funeral will be held today in South Carolina for fifth-grader Raniya Wright. She died after a fight broke out in her classroom. Meantime, Raniya's family is responding to a state lawmaker who downplayed the fight.

CNN's Dianne Gallagher is live in South Carolina with the very latest -- Dianne.

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, these students here at this elementary school, many of them are going to be spending their day at the funeral of one of their classmates. Raniya Wright died a week ago.

And those who cannot attend, although they get an excused absence -- the school, itself, is going to do a remembrance day for her on Friday where the kids can wear pink and purple in honor of that 10-year-old.

Now, her family has said that they really haven't gotten very much information, but most information we have received is from a state senator who spoke in session last night about what led Raniya's death.

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SEN. MARGIE BRIGHT MATTHEWS (D), SOUTH CAROLINA: It involved what appeared to initially be a simple back-and-forth between two young girls.

The principal put the girls in his office and one of them complained of head -- her head hurting. She grabbed her head, from what the evidence shows, and then she was taken right outside of the principal's office to the nurse's office and -- which is steps away. Then she became nauseous, vomited, and by the time she was taken to the hospital she was unresponsive.

I've heard a lot of people say oh, they were kicking her, they ganged her -- none of that. That's so far from the truth. Not even banging of head -- the head. That was not even an issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS: Yes. So, Raniya Wright's family, understandably, was not happy with the fact that the state senator chose, in the words of her mom's attorney, the backdrop of the Senate to talk about this. They've said they wanted to respect the investigation -- that they did not want to talk about it.

Her father's attorney, though, said look -- and I want to read a direct quote. We just got off the phone with him. "If the events alleged by the senator yesterday turn out to be factual, so be it. But our client deserves to know what happened to his daughter in a timely fashion."

You know, John, Alisyn, they still say they're not getting information from authorities and just want to know what happened.

CAMEROTA: Of course, understood. Dianne, thank you very much for telling us about that story.

Now, to another tragic story. Samantha Josephson, the University of South Carolina student was murdered after getting into a car she thought was an Uber, will be laid to rest today. Her New Jersey hometown gathered with her parents and her boyfriend last night to remember Samantha at this candlelight vigil.

Her alleged killer is facing murder and kidnapping charges.

South Carolina's House could vote as early as today on a bill designed to make Uber and Lyft vehicles easier to identify.

BERMAN: All right.

"INSIDE EDITION" host Deborah Norville is recovering this morning after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous lump on her neck. The show sent out this photo of Norville after waking up from the operation.

Norville said it was a viewer who first called attention to the suspicious lump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEBORAH NORVILLE, ANCHOR, "INSIDE EDITION": And a long time ago, an "INSIDE EDITION" viewer reached out to say she'd seen something on my neck. It was a lump. Well, I'd never noticed the thing.

But I did have it check out and the doctor said it was nothing -- a thyroid nodule. And for years it was nothing -- until recently, it was something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: After the surgery, Norville's assistant posted this photo on Instagram of Norville holding her best friend's hand.

We're glad she's out of surgery and doing well.

CAMEROTA: She is such a lovely person.

And, as you know John that has also happened to me where a viewer pointed out strange swelling that they saw on me -- abdominal swelling. And I went to the doctor also to get it checked out and there was a baby in there.

BERMAN: (INAUDIBLE).

CAMEROTA: Sure enough, there was a baby in there. So, the eagle-eyed viewers are very helpful when it comes to these medical issues.

BERMAN: The viewer noticed it.

CAMEROTA: The viewer noticed it.

BERMAN: Was not responsible, but noticed it.

CAMEROTA: No, no -- noticed it before I did.

BERMAN: OK, fascinating.

CAMEROTA: Yes. More on that later.

House Democrats are taking action this morning to force the release of the full Mueller report. NEW DAY continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JERRY NADLER (D-NY), CHAIRMAN, HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: We are asking that the entire Mueller report be given to Congress.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's no collusion. I think it's a disgrace.

[08:00:00]