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Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-CA) is Interviewed about USMCA; Kids Dying from Flu; Murphy Makes Triumphant Return to SNL. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired December 23, 2019 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

JOHN AVLON, CNN ANCHOR: Republicans. You voted against it. Why?

REP. TONY CARDENAS (D-CA): Well, one of the main reasons is it would have been an amazing opportunity for us to set the tone and the pace for the rest of the world when it comes to trade and the environment. And, unfortunately, it came up short. A lot of environmental organizations weren't happy with it and when I read the language, it did come up short. We could have done a much better job.

Hopefully we will have a strong economy with our neighbors both to the north and the south of us., But, at the same time, we can always do better and the document just didn't come up to snuff when it came to the environmental quality of that document.

AVLON: Sure. But perfect's never on the menu. Do you think it was an improvement over what was previously in place?

CARDENAS: It definitely was an improvement. The United States, Canada, Mexico, the world has learned over the last 20 years since NAFTA was signed into law. So the bottom line is, it's important for us to understand that, yes, some improvements were made because we did learn over the last couple of decades and hopefully we can actually do a better job next time.

AVLON: Final question, are you going to be advising Vice President Biden on outreach to the Hispanic community? And, if so, what do you think that he and the Democrats need to do in general not to take this key community, your community, for granted?

CARDENAS: Well, president -- excuse me, Vice President Biden -- I'm getting ahead of myself. Vice President Biden actually spoke with me in person and in groups about immigration and many, many other issues, especially the economy. And I think he's going to do a great job. He has a great track record to work from. And I think he's going to move with comprehensive immigration reform in his first term. I believe strongly that he's going to be able to move Congress the way Congress hasn't been able to get its act together for the last few decades.

And there have been Republican and Democrat presidents who have been wanting to do comprehensive immigration reform and I think Vice President Biden's the person to do it. AVLON: Congressman Tony Cardenas, thank you for announcing your

endorsement of Vice President Joe Biden here on NEW DAY.

CARDENAS: Thank you. Take care.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: OK, John, U.S. officials are reportedly on high alert for any provocative action from North Korea in the coming days. A source tells CNN that North Korea's so-called Christmas gift to the U.S. could be a new, hardline policy of taking denuclearization off the table. That would include abandoning negotiations with Washington, and consolidating their status as a nuclear weapons state. It is not clear how the Trump administration will respond. North Korea says they are aware of Mr. Trump's, quote, political vulnerabilities.

AVLON: All right.

And another person has died after New Zealand's volcanic eruption, bringing the death toll to 17. Police say the latest victim died yesterday at a hospital in Auckland. The volcano on White Island erupted earlier this month while 47 people were visiting. Two of them are still missing and presumed dead.

CAMEROTA: And deaths from the flu are on the rise. What parents need to know about the flu vaccine, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:37:20]

CAMEROTA: Flu season is ramping up across the United States. The latest report from the CDC indicates the number of children who have died from the flu so far this year has nearly doubled in just the last week.

Joining us now is Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez. She's a primary care physician here in New York.

Great to have you here on set with us.

Why are deaths up and what are you seeing in your practice?

DR. EDITH BRACHO-SANCHEZ, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF PEDIATRICS: So I'm seeing two things, Alisyn. The first thing is widespread levels of flu. And to anyone who has had the flu or who has cheated the flu, this is not just a level, this is not just a statistic. The flu is serious. It is a nasty virus that can turn deadly at any moment and that is why we're seeing high levels of deaths already.

AVLON: And, you know, if -- you've got a graphic here of the states where the flu risk is really up this year, and it's pretty striking. You've got a lot of states that are at much higher risks predominantly in the south and some in the Midwest --

CAMEROTA: So the red is the highest risk right there. AVLON: Correct. So the Pacific Northwest and really the entire -- the

entire south.

But what really struck me in talking to you is that around half of all people say that they're not just going to -- they're not going to get the flu vaccine this year. I mean what are they thinking and how, as a doctor, do you get through to them?

BRACHO-SANCHEZ: There's so many things that go into this. So the first thing is, for a very long time we've talked about the flu shot like this optional commodity, this luxury item. It's recommended, but you still have a choice, right? Like when I -- I, as a pediatrician, worked with schools, schools don't require the flu shot the way that they require so many other vaccines. And so for a long time what people have heard when we say recommended but not really required is that it's not necessary, right? The message that we are getting through to people is not necessary.

And so, as a result, people are saying, for somebody else, but not really for me. And that's unfortunate and it comes on top of so many other misconceptions about the flu, like the flu shot causing the actual flu, which is absolutely not true. So we're just working with so many misconceptions. And I think it gets to the fact that we, as physicians, have to really develop this trust with patients in our offices, right? Like the -- the place to discuss these things, to talk about them, it's not the Internet where people don't have your best interests at heart.

AVLON: Right.

BRACHO-SANCHEZ: It's not the Internet where people are attacking you for whatever belief you hold. It is in the office with the physician that you trust.

CAMEROTA: But when you hear people say, I don't get the flu shot because I got it once and then I got the flu, is that -- was that just a coincidence or do you get a little bit of symptoms if you get the flu shot?

BRACHO-SANCHEZ: I am so glad you're asking me this question, because this is what parents ask me every single day and will ask me today after I leave the set, right? What happens is the following.

Kids get the flu shot, for example. Kids are also going to get colds in the winter. It happens. Kids get so many colds in the winter. And so we give them the shots and then they either get a fever, which is appropriate, their immune system is reacting to the flu shot in the way that we want it to react to the flu shot, or they get a cold, which they were going to get anyway because they're in daycare, because they're going around and they're touching anything.

[08:40:13]

And parents are naturally looking for an answer. What happened here? And then they look to the flu shots and say, well, this is what did it. And I'm sorry to say, it is not. It is just not. AVLON: And the petri dish of life with small children increases the

likelihood.

But I think that's why it's so important to reiterate your core message about the flu vaccine, right? So everyone six months and older should get vaccinated every season.

BRACHO-SANCHEZ: That's exactly right.

AVLON: It takes two weeks for protection to develop after vaccination. Important.

CAMEROTA: I didn't know that. So I didn't know that. So for two weeks after you get the flu shot, you're not covered.

BRACHO-SANCHEZ: You're not covered, which is why it's so important --

AVLON: To get it early.

BRACHO-SANCHEZ: To get it as soon as possible. And pediatrics, and this is how you're going to know that I'm a pediatrician, we say flu before boo. We say flu before Halloween. That's just what we say to try to remind people that this has to happen early.

AVLON: And those kind of (INAUDIBLE) devices go a long ways for idiots like me. I appreciate that.

CAMEROTA: Yes, John will never forget that.

AVLON: Never, ever again.

But it's also 1,800 deaths from the flu this year. So your core message is, this is not optional, people.

BRACHO-SANCHEZ: It's not. It's absolutely necessary. It is absolutely necessary for everyone over six months of age to get the flu shot.

And look at the numbers that we're seeing if people haven't even started traveling for the holidays. The flu came early this season. And we haven't -- again, we haven't spent time inside with each other. We haven't hit the airports just yet. So this is really only going to get worse.

CAMEROTA: On that note, Doctor Bracho-Sanchez --

AVLON: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Thank you very much for all the information.

BRACHO-SANCHEZ: Thank you.

AVLON: All right.

CAMEROTA: It's great to have you here.

OK, time for "The Good Stuff." No more silent nights for this two-year-old Florida girl you're about to me. This is Leighton McIntosh. She was born deaf and her parents tried hearing aids but those did not work. So her parents decided to try the cochlear ear implants inside. Leighton received the implants earlier this year and then the second set was just activated last week and now they say that Leighton's world has opened up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NINA MCINTOSH, LEIGHTON'S MOTHER: I just want other parents to know when they get diagnosed or their kids get diagnosed, that there's hope and there's options.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Here's what's interesting, John. Leighton's parents say she's learning a whole bunch of new words now, mostly by watching "Frozen."

AVLON: That has worked remarkably from our daughter Tula Lou (ph) as well. Could not be more excited about the new movie and what a great story about just, you know, about hope and the persistence of hope plus science and "Frozen."

CAMEROTA: "Frozen" just does so much. Good.

AVLON: It does.

CAMEROTA: So you're also teaching your daughter English through "Frozen" is what you're saying to me.

AVLON: Ah, that's pretty much her musical training at this point.

CAMEROTA: OK.

AVLON: But I have big things ahead.

CAMEROTA: Very nice.

OK.

AVLON: All right. OK, so after 35 years, Gumby and Mr. Robinson's neighborhood are back. Eddie Murphy's blockbuster return to "Saturday Night Live." We got more, next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDDIE MURPHY, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": (INAUDIBLE), find out what it means to me. (INAUDIBLE). Talk to me, talk to me, talk to me, talk to me, talk to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:47:18] AVLON: Eddie Murphy's triumphant return to "Saturday Night Live" after 35 years is all anyone is talking about. Audiences are reveling in the revival of so many characters that made Eddie Murphy and the show such a success decades ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDDIE MURPHY, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": How the hell are people not going to know who I am? I'm Gumby, damn it. I -- let me tell you something, I saved this damn show from the gutter. And it's thanks to me. This is the thanks that I get for saving this show? Shame on you, Lorne Michaels. Shame on you, NBC. Shame on you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, Gumby, Gumby, just calm down. Calm down.

MURPHY: Don't tell me to calm down, trailer boy. I passed kidney stones with more personality than the two of you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's a little rude.

MURPHY: Face it, kid, the both of you together couldn't Velcro my sneakers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, you're not exactly a Christmas character I'm saying.

MURPHY: What the hell do you mean I'm not a Christmas character? Look at me. I'm green! I'm green and all the children love me. The kids love me and I'm a Christmas character, you jerk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.

And, Gumby, I just want to point out, you're not allowed --

MURPHY: Hey, give me a match, I want to smoke this cigar.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, you're not allowed to smoke in here, Gumby.

MURPHY: Hey, don't tell me not to smoke, head shot, I do what I want to do. I am Gumby, damn it! I am Gumby.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: I'm Gumby, damn it. Love it.

Joining us now is CNN analyst Bill Carter, former "New York Times" media reporter, and CNN contributor, and "Entertainment Tonight" host Nischelle Turner.

What a great night.

I mean, Nischelle, let's start with you. What were your standouts? What were the favorites you were waiting for that he delivered on?

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, Gumby was definitely one of them. I mean when he called Colin Jost (ph) a head shot, I likely -- I nearly lost it.

But, yes, Gumby was one of them. I think he went there, which we were going to see if he would because Gumby is, you know, historically un- p.c. and he went there with that. I loved Mr. Robinson's neighborhood. I was so glad that he did that. He updated it by talking about gentrification.

And one of my personal favorites is Velvet Jones. I was very surprised that he did it, but he did. I thought it was really funny. And I thought it was interesting how they wrapped that in the Me Too movement.

So, yes, you know, I could start from the beginning and just go to the end, but if you need me to pick three, there you go.

CAMEROTA: OK, so we should probably play Mr. Robinson's neighborhood, Bill, because that one was iconic.

BILL CARTER, CNN MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

AVLON: Yes.

CAMEROTA: I mean, obviously back in the day --

CARTER: Yes.

CAMEROTA: As all of these were.

CARTER: And so smartly updated.

CAMEROTA: Yes, smartly updated. And I think that what it captures is that that's what Eddie Murphy was always doing, as a sort of subversive humor. It wasn't like necessarily slap your knee.

CARTER: No.

CAMEROTA: It was political commentary.

CARTER: Absolutely. Yes.

CAMEROTA: So -- all right, so let's watch this moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MURPHY: The white people came and changed everything, but I am still your neighbor.

[08:50:03]

So much has changed since we last spent some time together. My neighborhood has gone through so much. It's gone through something called gentrification.

Can you say gentrification, boys and girls? It's like a magic trick. White people pay a lot of money and then, poof, all the black people are gone. But where do they go, boys and girls? Back to where they come from, of

course, Atlanta.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We ordered a new 72 inch Samsung TV. And they say it was delivered but it's not in the lobby. And we were wondering if you knew anything about that?

MURPHY: Don't worry, boys and girls, Mr. Robinson knows just what to say in situations like this.

Oh, you think I stole your TV because I'm black!

Can you believe the nerve of them, boys and girls? There's a special word for that, racist.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: I mean so much of it was just pitch perfect.

But, Bill, 35 years, what took so long? What was the beef? What's the backstory of why he didn't come on for 35 years?

CARTER: The beginning of it was, he was in the period of time when Lorne Michaels was not running that show. So that is a -- he isn't in the Lorne universe. So he wasn't invited back for that reason.

He then had a falling out because the show picked on him, rather meanly once, and he really didn't like that.

CAMEROTA: David Spade made a joke. I mean David -- David was -- made a snarky joke.

CARTER: But he made a joke -- but it was -- it was --

AVLON: As David Spade does.

CARTER: Yes. Yes. And -- but it ticked off Eddie Murphy.

And then he was supposed to come back on the -- pm the -- he was back on the anniversary show and he was supposed to do a Cosby bit and he -- and he didn't do it. He felt it was awkward and he just sort of spoke. So he didn't do comedy until this time, and that's why this was special.

AVLON: And that Bill Cosby routine that got spiked for the 40th anniversary --

CARTER: Yes. Well, this was a bit of it, yes.

CAMEROTA: Came roaring back.

AVLON: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Yes, so let's watch a little bit of this Bill Cosby impersonation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MURPHY: I have ten kids now. Eleven if you count Kevin Hart. I'm kidding. I love Kevin Hart. I'm just teasing.

My kids are actually pretty much my whole life now. And, you know what, but if you would have told me 30 years ago that I would be this boring, stay-at-home, you know, house dad and Bill Cosby would be in jail, even I would have took that bet. I tell you, who is America's dad now!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Look at his facial expression. Nischelle, that was so Cosby- esque.

CARTER: Oh, yes.

AVLON: Well --

TURNER: Yes, very -- well, listen, we asked for Eddie and we got Eddie, and especially in that moment. And I think that -- that because he didn't do the bit like Bill was talking about on the 40th anniversary show, Eddie never backs down from a challenge and he never backs down from a fight and he never has seen a joke that isn't p.c. that he didn't like. So he went there and he took it and it was funny. And Bill Cosby didn't like it at all.

AVLON: And, you know, massive ratings, biggest of the season for "SNL," but also entertainment TV, let alone the reach online and these things become instant classics.

TURNER: Yes.

CARTER: Exactly.

AVLON: The one person we know who didn't like it very much --

CARTER: Yes. Bill Cosby.

AVLON: Bill Cosby. And his reps put out a really strongly worded statement, which I think raises a fascinating fight between the two with its historical resonance. They said, one would think that Mr. Murphy was given his freedom to leave the plantation so he could make his own decisions, but he decided to sell himself back to being a Hollywood slave. Stepin Fetchit plus cooning equals the destruction of black men in Hollywood. Remember, Mr. Murphy, that Bill Cosby became legendary because he used comedy to humanize all races, religions and genders, but your attacking Mr. Cosby helps you embark on just becoming click bait.

That is a very tough statement from the Cosby reps. A lot of historical resonance there, hitting him from the position of sort of a -- you know, somebody saying you are actually playing the game that so many in the past accused Cosby of playing.

Nischelle. TURNER: Well, I think it's --- I think it's an interesting statement, first of all -- well, interesting, I guess, and I'm kind of watering that down. It's much more than interesting.

But I think what he was trying to do early in this statement is talk about Bill Cosby's accomplishments and that he put all of these positive images out there for black people in the landscape in entertainment and that was one of the things he should be lauded for. He did do those things.

But then to go in the next breath and call Eddie Murphy a Hollywood slave and say that he's cooning and call him Stepin Fetchit, it's hard to even listen -- if you have a point, it's hard to listen to it after that. I thought it was really kind of disgusting and I'm not even sure why he went there.

CARTER: I'd also like to point out that Bill Cosby was the model for -- especially young black comics coming up, that he was their idol.

TURNER: Yes, he was Eddie's idol.

CARTER: And then Eddie became the idol. And he was Eddie's idol. And now, look at Eddie, he had -- he had Chris Rock on and he had Dave Chappell on.

[08:55:01]

So you can't really go after Eddie, I think, on that basis. It -- the rest of the -- you know, the blacks coming up who are comics, they admire him.

CAMEROTA: That moment last night when all of these comedians came on, from Chris Rock you see there --

TURNER: Legendary.

CAMEROTA: You're able to see Dave Chappell come on. And everybody there, I -- you know, we turn to our kids and said, guys, those are the most successful -- some of the most successful comedians and highest paid entertainers in the world right there all on that stage --

CARTER: Yes.

AVLON: (INAUDIBLE).

CAMEROTA: And they were giving Eddie Murphy credit.

CARTER: They wanted to be there because Eddie Murphy was there.

TURNER: Yes.

CARTER: They really wanted to be there. They made a point of being there because Eddie Murphy was there.

CAMEROTA: But one more thing, Bill. You were saying that you met him in 1982.

CARTER: Yes, I did.

CAMEROTA: And he saved the show.

CARTER: He did.

CAMEROTA: People don't know this --

CARTER: He --

CAMEROTA: That "Saturday Night Live" was going to be canceled.

CARTER: Yes, they -- they had -- right when Lorne Michaels left, they had -- a producer came in, had a disastrous season. She did one smart thing, she hired Eddie Murphy, a 19-year-old kid, to be like a supporting player. And he emerged in the next year as the guy that everybody had to see and the show was back and became what it is today.

CAMEROTA: Incredible.

AVLON: Living history.

CAMEROTA: Nischelle, thank you. Bill, great to get your perspective.

TURNER: You're welcome.

AVLON: Thanks, guys.

TURNER: Good to see you guys. Merry Christmas.

CAMEROTA: OK, thanks so much. You too, Nischelle, great to see you.

All right, CNN "NEWSROOM" is next after this very quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RYAN NOBLES, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, I'm Ryan Nobles. Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto have the week off.

[09:00:01]

And right now the Senate's top Democrat once again demanding more witness testimony when the chamber takes up impeachment.

END