Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Trump, After Praising China, Accuses It Of "Mass Worldwide Killing"; Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips Discusses Before And After Photos Of Nurse Who Survived Virus; Update On Coronavirus Response Around The World; Father Sues College Because Virtual Education Isn't Worth The Same Amount As In-Person Classes. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired May 20, 2020 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Joining me now to discuss, CNN Political Analyst, Josh Rogin.

Josh, what does this change of tune tell you about, really, what's happening with the president and what's happening behind the scenes at the White House in the middle of this pandemic?

JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Right, well, I think there's two things going on. First of all, I think President Trump is genuinely upset with his good friend President Xi, who he spent just three years getting to know.

Remember they sign a trade deal in January and finds out the government has been lying about the coronavirus the whole time, first thing. Second thing, he's also abusing the China issue to distract from his own domestic failures relating to the coronavirus pandemic.

And, you know, that's really unfortunate because for people who really want to hold the Chinese government accountable, politicize the issue only makes it more difficult.

We should be able to blame Trump and China at the same time, but right now, it's just getting all politicized out of control.

KEILAR: I also want to get your reaction to this. The president suggesting today he's considering having the G-7 summit in person but doing it at Camp David in June.

He tweeted that it would be a great sign to all normalization. The summit had to be rescheduled for March when the pandemic was at its peak and coming as many allies see the U.S. as abandoning its leadership. Do you think the other leaders will agree and come?

ROGIN: No. I don't think that's going to happen at all. Remember, this is all President Trump trying to portray an image of America leading internationally on this crisis, when all the evidence points in the opposite direction.

And this includes the president's attack on the WHO, which is what set off this latest spat in the U.S./China relations in the first place and remember, the last time he scheduled G-7 statement, they couldn't even agree to the statement because the U.S. insisted calling it on the Wuhan virus. It's like a kabuki diplomacy.

By having them reject him, that's a talking point but that's not the same thing as trying to coalesce around the shared common interest of fighting this pandemic.

KEILAR: Josh Rogin, as always, great to see you.

ROGIN: Likewise.

A reminder that CNN is investigating the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. Do not miss Fareed Zakaria's special report, "CHINA'S DEADLY SECRET." This Sunday night at 9:00 Eastern and Pacific.

As the world rushes to find a vaccine for coronavirus, New York is reporting an alarming decline in routine vaccinations for children. I'll ask a doctor what the long-term impact would be here.

Plus, South Korea the latest country forced to shut down some schools again after clusters reemerged.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:36:53]

KEILAR: A San Francisco nurse who contracted coronavirus is sharing what it did to his body after being hospitalized for six weeks. This is Mike Schultz about a month before he got sick. On the left, of course, right in the recovery ward, several weeks later.

He used to work out and a healthy 190 pounds and now 140 pounds and his lung capacity slowly coming back but took a hit through this.

Schultz said he felt so weak he could barely hold the phone to take that picture on the right. And when he woke up, he thought he'd only been in the hospital for one week, when he had been in the hospital for six.

Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, CNN medical analyst and chief clinical officer of Providence Health System. And she's joining us now to talk about this.

Doctor, that change, this is getting so much attention because it's just undeniable. He looks like a different person, right? He was intubated for 4.5 weeks. What does that tell you about the toll this virus takes on your body and I know you've seen some of this.

DR. AMY COMPTON-PHILLIPS, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Thank you, Brianna, for asking.

And it's not just the virus but staying in an ICU is really hard on the body and we've known for a long time there's a condition called ICU associated weakness people are prolonged on a ventilator.

And by the way, they're put into a medically induced coma because it's not a pleasant sensation to have to live through.

Two big things happen. One is that you get something called a catabolic state where you break down your own muscles and deconditioning. You are at complete rest. You're not moving around. So your muscles get super, super weak.

And at the end of that, what happens is what my Kentucky father-in-law would describe, weak as a kitten, and you really have no energy left to move because you have basically really removed most of your muscle strength during that time while you're in bed.

KEILAR: And can you speak to something we've heard more experts talk about, for people like this nurse, he wakes up, thinks he's on the vent for a week, he's been in the hospital for six weeks instead. The long-term mental health implications of going through something that is arguably for so many people, very traumatic.

COMPTON-PHILLIPS: It is very traumatic. The other thing people in ICUs get besides incredibly weak is PTSD because they lose chunks of their life and the trauma on the body of being put on a ventilator and some people having to be put on blood pressure support medicines, that you can actually have lasting damage to both the brain as well as your ability to regain your strength long-term.

And so it is a long road back. So not only the nurse that you have shown pictures of, but every single person in the ICU, getting out of the hospital is step one on the road to recovery.

[14:40:01]

KEILAR: It's not just the end of it, right? It's the beginning of a new thing for them.

The mayor in New York, Bill De Blasio, just reported childhood vaccination rates in New York City have been falling dramatically, down 63 percent overall, especially among younger children.

I think we I think we can understand that some parents have been hesitant to take their kids to the doctor's office for their normal well child visits, but what would your advice be to them and what are your concerns about this?

COMPTON-PHILLIPS: My advice now is now that we're on the backside of wave one, now is the time to go catch up, catch up with all the care you need.

And it's not just childhood vaccines that we need parents to get their kids in and get them now. But it's people who need their blood pressure, saying come on back. Don't let a second wave of catastrophe from this virus be that all the other preventative conditions we know we can help get out of control because we've put off things that we know we should.

So time to go in and get those shots.

KEILAR: Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, thank you. COMPTON-PHILLIPS: Thank you so much.

KEILAR: A dire warning from the World Bank that this crisis could push 60 million people into extreme poverty around the world.

Plus, Russia is set to receive a major shipment of ventilators from the United States.

One of the world's most iconic theatres could be forced to shut down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:46:35]

KEILAR: Breaking news. Ford forced to halt production at its Chicago plant after two employees test positive for coronavirus. This just one day after the automaker reopened its factory. Ford began screening temperatures of their employees and requiring medical tests for workers who exhibit symptoMs. Keep in mind, tomorrow, the president visits a Ford plant in Michigan.

And this comes as workplaces, sports, schools are all grappling with how to reopen, especially when someone tests positive.

In the meantime, starting tomorrow, Spain will require masks for anyone using public spaces if they can't social distance by at least six feet. These rules come amid a slight uptick in new infections there. It applies to indoor and outdoor spaces for anyone over the age of six. And there will be exceptions for some medical conditions.

And a bar in the Spanish town of Sieveya (ph) found a high-tech way to serve drinks safely, using a robot called a beer cart to bring drinks to customers.

For other headlines around the world, let's check in with CNN's international correspondents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Paula Hancocks, in Seoul. High school seniors are back at school here in South Korea, and it really feels like a milestone in the country's fight against coronavirus. Now, temperature checks, hand sanitizers, social distancing, both in the classroom and in the canteen are becoming the new norm.

Officials are hoping to introduce lower grades in the schools over the next couple of weeks but there's already been hurdles. Schools had to be closed after two students tested positive.

MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: i'm Melissa Bell, in Paris, France. Schools open for less than a week. Some COVID-19 scares led to the closing of 70 schools across the country.

It is relatively small number and the health ministry said these are not necessarily cases of COVID-19 found inside the schools but enough of a scare locally to warrant their closure.

These are the sort of incidents they're keeping an eye on. Whether to continue down this road of easing restrictions as nationally, the figures continue to improve and specifically, numbers of people in an ICU that continue to fall.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Matthew Chance. And Russian officials say a big shipment of U.S. medical aid is now heading to Moscow to help combat the coronavirus pandemic.

The first shipment will include 50 American made ventilators with a further 150 ventilators that follow. Russian officials say the ships financed by Washington.

It follows a series of phone calls between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin and controversial shipment of Russian aid to the U.S. last month, including a model of Russian ventilator later found to have forced in St. Petersburg.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Clarissa Ward, in London, where Shakespeare lovers are growing anxious at the prospect that the Globe Theatre, where some of the famous playwrights' most epic plays were originally performed may now be forced to close as a result of some of the lockdown measures taken due to the coronavirus.

U.K. lawmakers have warned the government that the theatre now faces financial insolvency. The original theatre built in 1599. It was destroyed by a fire in 1613 but a replica yards away from the original was built.

[14:50:03]

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm David McKenzie, in South Africa. The head of the World Bank has said up to 60 million people worldwide to be pushed into extreme poverty because of COVID-19 and the lockdown on economies.

Now the worst affected countries could be low and-middle income countries and their citizens. Group is providing financing and forgiving debt in the foreseeable future to try to help countries to weather the COVID-19 storm.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: We're back now to breaking news. A top administration official telling CNN that informal conversations are taking place about potentially getting rid of the head of the Centers for Disease Control.

Plus, I'll speak to the father of a college student is suing because virtual education isn't worth the same amount as in-person classes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:55:34] KEILAR: Colleges and universities across the globe are adapting to the new normal. And one of the latest developments, the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, announced it will hold all lectures online until the summer of 2021.

In the U.S., as the number of universities plan for the fall, many parents and students want to back up for a moment. When the pandemic hit, most were sent home to finish the semester online and that is not what they paid more.

Mark Shaffer's daughter attends George Washington University and he is suing the school. And he's joining us now.

Mark, thank you, for coming on.

First explain why you're taking legal action against George Washington university.

MARK SHAFFER, SUING GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY OVER ONLINE COURSES: Sure, Brianna. Glad to be on.

It started out with a petition of over 2,000 signatures to reduce the tuition fees for the second half of the spring semester because everything had gone online.

The administration ignored that petition and other calls for some sort of refund so we felt the only way to get their attention was to file a class-action suit representing the students and parents to try to get refund of the tuition paid in the spring of 2020.

KEILAR: Your lawsuit said it cost about $30,000 per semester tuition, how much money are you looking to get back? I'm curious to know, and look, I think there's a lot of parents all over the country wondering what you're wondering here, but how much is an online education worth versus that in-person?

SHAFFER: Right. Well in our opinion it is certainly worth less. I'm sure a number of experts could testify as to how much less. But what we're looking for and of course each student's tuition is different.

At George Washington they freeze your tuition when you enter school so students could pay from $25,000 to $30,000 a semester there. And we thought the first semester wasn't impacted, it hit mid semester. It could be $7,000 $8,000.

KEILAR: Do you think your daughter is learning less by the way classes are being executed right now or do you think that there are just kind of some things that she's missing out on? What do you feel like she is missing that is not worth paying for?

SHAFFER: Well, you definitely miss out of your professor/student interactions. There could be some Q&A but it is not the same.

She's missing out on the peer to peer, student study groups or talking before and after classes and a bunch of facilities at George Washington that the students use that have been closed. Special software programs that are in the library that can't be accessed online.

So she's lost a lot of content of the course work and that is reflected by the George Washington decision to law students to take anything they want, pass, fail, after they see what kind of grade they got. So I think they recognize it is not the same.

KEILAR: The university has said that they're listening to public health experts by moving to online classes.

They said, this, quote, "Our faculty have been working hard to provide our students with a quality academic experience and our staff have worked hard to provide meaningful engagement with each other."

What do you think about that response?

SHAFFER: Well, I don't doubt that they tried. And we certainly never questioned the decision-making process when they decided to go online because of all of the unknowns with the COVID virus and all.

Our point is it is not the same. Most universities that do strictly online credits, they cost far, far less than what we're paying at George Washington University and we think the university should recognize it, they can't make it part of the experience and ought to refund part of the tuition.

KEILAR: I have 10 seconds. What does your daughter think about your lawsuit?

[14:59:55]

SHAFFER: She -- she probably finding it more amusing than anything else but she understands what we're up against. Some parents need the money, some parents might not. But it is the business principle, if you can't deliver what you promise, you should give people some of their money back.