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Biden Focuses on Stimulus; Dallas Family's Heartbreaking Dilemma; NFL Playing during Pandemic. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired December 01, 2020 - 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 HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Close some of the gaps in education created by the closures this year. So many students have fallen behind and states and local governments don't have money to pay for those things. So some action now is highly urgent. That doesn't mean that it's necessarily going to happen. And if it doesn't happen, of course, that will become immediately the day one priority for the Biden administration.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Abby, I'll put up a full screen of the economic team as we understand it, who Joe Biden will be surrounding himself with, who will be advising him and making policy, et cetera. Janet Yellen, obviously, Treasury secretary.

So what will they be able to do about all of this?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, what strikes me about this group of people on the screen right now is that a lot of them are really very much technocrats. They are experts in their field. They are people who, for the most part, they are policymakers, they are administrators of their respective agencies and organizations within the government. This is a group of people that is about doing policy, not politics. And that is in stark contrast to what exists in the current administration.

Earlier, you know, our colleague, Catherine Rampell, was talking about how Janet Yellen, unlike Steve Mnuchin, does not have the political experience to sort of broker deals on Capitol Hill. And I think that is -- that is very much true. And that may very well be exactly why Joe Biden picked her because Biden, from his perspective, does not need the Treasury secretary to be the deal broker in the way that Steve Mnuchin has been because President Trump has refused to talk to congressional Democrats, particularly Nancy Pelosi. Joe Biden's the person who himself has been a dealmaker. So the people that he's assembled are people who are in the business of putting together policy based on information and data and running organizations, and that is probably what is going to be the most needed when it comes to the kinds of crises that the country is facing.

I mean it's going to be an extraordinary challenge to do simultaneously a major effort to control this virus and then also wrangle lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for a huge stimulus bill when, as I've said before, Republicans are -- on January 20th -- going to start talking about spending and debt in a way that they have not for the last four years, and that's going to be a major problem for Joe Biden.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: They're going to remember deficits all of a sudden, which they haven't talked about for four years.

Listen, I want to play an example of what might be the highest level ghosting, I think that's what the kids call it --

CAMEROTA: Yes, it is.

BERMAN: Ghosting that we have ever seen. We were talking about how President Trump was attacking the Republican governors of Arizona and Georgia. Well, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, we are told, changed the ring tone on his cellphone some time ago to "Hail to the Chief" when he would get calls from the White House. So if the White House called it would play "Hail to the Chief" because he never wanted to miss a call, apparently, until yesterday.

So, yesterday, when he was involved in certifying or being there for the certification of the election in Arizona, all of a sudden that cellphone rang and thanks to Bram Resnick (ph), a local reporter there, we can hear what the tone was when it was ringing.

So listen very carefully.

(VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So I do think that is what the kids call ghosting. You can hear the phone play "Hail to the Chief" and you can watch the governor just say nuh-uh.

CAMEROTA: Nope.

BERMAN: I don't want anything to do with it.

CAMEROTA: Not today.

BERMAN: Not today.

And so, John, I do think in a way that's emblematic of what you were talking about last segment which is that these Republican office holders, some of them, are done. They're done with the president's shenanigans.

HARWOOD: Well, they're especially done, as I indicated earlier, if he comes after them. I mean if the president starts blow torching Mitch McConnell, Mitch McConnell will respond. Right now McConnell's trying to be as quiet as possible because he's trying to generate a turnout for those two Republican Senate -- incumbent senators in those runoffs in Georgia. But once the president trains his rhetoric on you personally, it is incumbent upon you and necessary for the continuation of your career and the preservation of your reputation to respond. And so I suspect if this goes on much longer, Doug Ducey will change his ring tone to "Send in the Clowns" or something like that. BERMAN: Yes. That's very well done, John Harwood. You and Abby

Phillip, thank you very much. My ring tone from both of you is, "I Can't Smile Without You," Barry Manilow.

PHILLIP: Awe, I love that, John.

BERMAN: I appreciate -- appreciate you both being with us.

Yours --

CAMEROTA: Yes, what is it, John?

BERMAN: "Eye of the Tiger."

CAMEROTA: Tell me.

BERMAN: I don't know. I don't know.

Here's what else to watch today while I think about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ON SCREEN TEXT: 10:00 a.m. ET, Senate hearing on coronavirus relief.

12:30 p.m. ET, Joe Biden introduces economic team.

8:00 p.m. ET, Dr. Fauci honored.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:35:25]

BERMAN: All right, one family's coronavirus dilemma, trying to provide for their family or risk their daughter's life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DYLAN GARCIA, FATHER: Is it better off staying at home or is that going to end up getting us put in a homeless shelter where she's at more risk? What's the right answer? What do I pick? What's going to actually work?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Their heartbreaking story, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: The pandemic is forcing families to make life and death decisions. One Texas couple is struggling with mounting debt, a potential eviction and trying to provide for their three children.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is live in Dallas with more.

Tell us about them, Ed.

[08:40:03]

ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.

Well, millions of Americans are suffering, but this one family in particular has been facing a dilemma, a heartbreaking dilemma for months, and it's a dilemma that has pushed them to the brink and it's a family that feels they have fallen into a bottomless hole and they're just wondering when it's all going to end.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (voice over): Exploring a secluded playground is a rare gift for little Brandy and her family, a chance for kids to be kids and a chance for Jessica Lusk and Dylan Garcia to escape. The coronavirus pandemic has brought this family to the edge of despair.

JESSICA LUSK, MOTHER: What happens if we lose everything for real, you know? Like what really is going to happen?

I'm a big girl today.

LAVANDERA: Three-year-old Brandy was born with an extremely rare metabolic disease known as CACT. Essentially Brandy's body is unable to break down the fat in food that her body needs to function. It has caused brain damage and pulverized her immune system. Her doctors say any illness Brandy catches can be deadly.

When the pandemic started, Jessica worked as a home care provider for disabled veterans, Dylan worked in a metal factory. Imagine their dilemma, working jobs with a high risk of COVID-19 exposure, knowing they could come home with a disease that would kill their child.

DYLAN GARCIA, FATHER: Well, is it better off staying at home or is that going to end up getting us put in a homeless shelter where she's at more risk? I think about that all the time. Like, what -- like what's the bigger risk, me going to work or us losing our house? What's the right answer? What do I pick? What -- what's going to actually work?

LAVANDERA: In April, Jessica and Dylan stopped work to keep Brandy safe. They hope the pandemic would end quickly. Now the couple says they live off $700 a month in unemployment assistance and food stamps. Medicaid insurance provides a nurse to help in Brandy's daily care, a schedule that's meticulously mapped out. She can only eat special formula injected every few hours through a tube into her stomach, but Jessica and Dylan say they're now $2,000 behind on electrical bills, they owe almost $10,000 on nine months of unpaid apartment rent. They were recently told their family would be evicted at the end of December.

LUSK: That lady told me if I was a good mom, I would be calling around to homeless shelters to ask if they can take me in. I poured my whole heart out to her and explained to her that just -- just please don't. Don't get rid of me. I -- I -- I have nowhere to go.

GARCIA: It makes you feel like a failure as a parent, as a man, to know that you can't provide for your own family.

LUSK: It's like if I don't even deserve my own kid.

LAVANDERA: Jessica and Dylan have had to isolate themselves and their three children during the pandemic, which they say has made fighting this battle even more lonely and stressful. They live for brief moments of joy, like watching Brandy take her first steps.

LUSK: You did it.

Every night we cry to each other. We talk. If we're not crying, we're trying to make a way. We're trying to find a way.

LAVANDERA: Jessica and Dylan are haunted every night by the question they can't escape, are they doing the right thing?

LAVANDERA (on camera): Have you given up hope?

LUSK: We can never give up. We have children. It just -- it's a lot. It's -- it's a lot.

GARCIA: The only hope we've got is the fact that we still do have her. She still is here.

LUSK: That's all I can do is just pray that it goes away, that things get better, that God makes a way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (on-camera): Alisyn, what's remarkable is that Brandy's doctors tell us that most kids in her condition don't make it past the age of one. She is now three. The family, Dylan and Jessica, say they have been trying to find work that they can do from home, just haven't had any luck. And, obviously, they're following the news of the vaccine development very closely. Brandy's doctors tell us that Brandy would be an ideal candidate for the vaccine. Parents say they're going to wait and see just what kind of news comes out on the vaccine, how safe it is before they administer it to their daughter if they choose to do so. But it is obviously something that can't come soon enough for a family that is desperately waiting for this pandemic to end.

Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: These are horrible decisions to have to make. I'm sure that our viewers will be touched, as we all are. Do they have a Go Fund Me page, anything like that where viewers can help?

LAVANDERA: I believe so. They're in the process of -- I think of setting that up. We will share that with viewers as, you know, people reach out to me or to CNN, we'll be sure to pass along all of that information and the story will be up online on the CNN website here shortly.

So, yes, you know, whatever people can do if they feel so inclined to help out, these are families that are desperately in need.

[08:45:03]

CAMEROTA: Absolutely. Ed, we really appreciate you bringing the stories of families like this to us, even though they're really, really hard to watch.

Thank you and give us any update -- updated information as soon as you have it.

Thanks so much, Ed.

LAVANDERA: You got it, Alisyn. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

BERMAN: So, this year, CNN Heroes is focusing on the fight against coronavirus and the battle for racial equality and social justice. As part of Giving Tuesday, we're making it easy for you to help by highlighting eight organizations doing important work to help on both fronts and make the world a better place.

CNN's Anderson Cooper tells us more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): The Center for Disaster Philanthropy provides strategies to help donors increase the impact of their contributions during global crises like COVID-19.

Chef Jose Andres and his World Central Kitchen feed the needy in times of crisis, using the power of food to heal and strengthen communities.

JOSE ANDRES, CHEF, WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN: We need to be part of the solution.

COOPER: Adopt A Classroom advances equity and education by giving teachers and schools access to the resources they need.

GLENN CLOSE, ACTRESS: I challenge every American family to no longer whisper about mental illness behind closed doors.

COOPER: Co-founded by Glenn Close, Bring Change to Mind is working to end the stigma surrounding mental illness and encouraging dialogue and raising awareness, understanding and empathy.

The Make A Wish Foundation provides life-changing experiences for children battling critical illness. Restoring in them --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

COOPER: A sense of childhood and giving normalcy to their families.

The Equal Justice Initiative fights to end mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States by challenging racial and economic inequity and protecting basic human rights in the prison system.

Water.org has helped change the lives of millions of people with access to safe water and sanitation in 17 countries around the world. And, finally, Issue Voter is increasing civic engagement beyond the

voting booth, helping people share their views on new bills with their elected officials in just one click.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We can create the world that we want to live in through representative democracy by making all of our voices heard on the issues.

COOPER: Want to learn more? Go to cnnheroes.com and click "donate" beneath any of this year's organizations to make a direct contribution to their Go Fund Me charity campaign. You'll receive an email confirming your donation, which is tax deductible in the United States.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: You want to learn more about each organization, go to cnnheroes.com. And don't forget to tune into the 14th annual "CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute" on Sunday, December 13th.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:50:16]

BERMAN: The NFL's 2020 season continues to face setbacks. The Thanksgiving Day game between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers now postponed for a third time and is set to take place tomorrow 4:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon game. I've never seen anything like that.

Factoring into the NFL's decision, 19 Ravens who have either tested positive or are now quarantining because of exposure.

Joining us now is Dr. Myron Rolle. He's a former NFL player and now a neurosurgery resident at Mass General Hospital, and Nate Solder, he's an offensive tackle for the New York Giants, who opted out of playing this season because of health concerns for his family.

Dr. Rolle, first to you.

Over the summer we had a chance to talk and you thought that the NFL season should be delayed or perhaps put off completely because of pandemic concerns. What do you think now.

DR. MYRON ROLLE, NEUROSURGERY RESIDENT, MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL: Well, thanks for having me.

I still am standing the same way, with the same posture, that the NFL should delay the season, stop it for right now, allow independent thinkers to come in and really sort of allow these infections to slow down. Look at hospitals like my hospital, Mass General, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, other places around the country to see -- to use as a barometer basically on how the country's doing. I think you -- with all the disruptions, all the delays in games, players coming in and out of the facility, positive tests, the outbreaks that you're seeing, the non-compliance with mask wearing by coaches and players, staff members not being fully transparent with their symptoms, all of this is a public health disaster and I think the NFL is falling short right now of their players and the league and the community at large.

BERMAN: So, Nate Solder, you're a New York Giant now. I should say I'm a Patriots fan, so thank you for your service.

And because I'm a fan, I know about the health challenges that you and your family have faced. And you're one of 67 players who opted out for this season.

Based on what you're seeing and how this is playing out with games delayed and strange things happening with players, how do you feel about your decision?

NATE SOLDER, NY GIANTS OFFENSIVE TACKLE: Well, I'm happy with my decision. It's tricky for me to say what's right for the entire NFL. I think there's so much money at stake. There's so many jobs at stake. I understand why they're trying to get it done. I think that they're doing an excellent job of trying to manage through these things. I just don't think it's right for us and our family, with our health circumstances. So I'm glad with where I'm at right now.

BERMAN: So you talk about the things that have happened. The Denver Broncos, all four of their quarterbacks, one quarterback tested positive and then the three others had to quarantine because they had been in close proximity. So what they had to do is they had to start a rookie wide receiver off the practice squad. Kendall Hinton had to play quarterback for the Broncos here, completed one pass. I mean hats off to him for even trying.

But, Nate, you know, is this football? Is this a reasonable product to be putting on the field?

SOLDER: No, I see what you're saying. It's certainly inconvenient. It's certainly a lesser product. And I totally agree with you on that.

But no one -- I mean, to be honest with you, no one's really worried about the inconvenience of a few NFL athletes. But I think what they're trying to do, and I think I admire, is that they're worried about the health of not just the athletes, but how about the trainers. You know, I think that they should postpone these games, they should quarantine these quarterbacks even if it is a lesser product because the health of any one individual is way more important than any football game.

BERMAN: You know, Dr. Rolle, Nate brings up the exact point that I was thinking about this weekend as I was sitting on my couch and I'm watching football and I'm thinking, I'm so happy that I can watch players play on TV. But then I took a step back and thought, wait a second, you know, it's easy for me to say that on my couch because, you know, I'm not living with these players. You know, their health doesn't affect me directly.

So what should fans know about the risks that players are taking? ROLLE: Well, the risks are high, obviously. And, you know, we've seen

COVID-19 patients who are positive or, you know, have been ,symptomatic typically affects older individuals who have less functional reserve, who have more comorbidities, sicker at baseline, right? But young people have faced myocarditis or kidney issues, transi amnesia, some neurologic issues that, you know, what affects, you know, my particular vocation. So there is a chance that these players could end up becoming severely sick and becoming hospitalized. And we also, frankly, don't know the long-term effects of COVID. It's too novel of a disease. We don't have enough research out yet to really, truly know what's going on.

With so much uncertainty happening right now, I think as fans and as spectators, observers, we should really care for the human aspect of these players. Know that they are human, that they are a part of the community, that they are leaders of their families and that they're taking a huge risk by being out there right now. The money and the revenue that they can generate is tremendous for sure but at the same time it's very difficult to sort of be in between this transient window that you can play this sport that you love and then also, amidst this pandemic that's raging and raging throughout the whole country.

[08:55:03]

BERMAN: Nate, I see you nodding there. What are you hearing from your friends who are playing this season? What are their concerns and what are their feelings about how it's been going?

SOLDER: Well, you know, they are concerned for themselves. People want to get back to normal life. And I think it's some semblance of that, playing football. But I think what it is, is they're more concerned about their loved ones. I think they're more concerned about their communities. They're more concerned about all the other people you come in contact with.

So flying across the country and playing a football game it's just such an easy way to contract the virus and then give it to your family. So I -- that's what I hear from my friends and that's why I didn't play and that's kind of the situation they're put in.

BERMAN: Yes, it's a tough position to be in when you're choosing between your health and a paycheck. I get that for sure.

Nate Solder, that's for coming on and talking to us.

Dr. Rolle, thank you for being with us and thank you for what you do at Mass General. I really appreciate it.

ROLLE: Thank you.

SOLDER: Thanks, guys.

BERMAN: All right, CNN's coverage continues right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: A very good Tuesday morning to you. I'm Jim Sciutto. Poppy Harlow is off this week.

A health care system in this country under genuine stress. This morning, some 96,000 Americans are now hospitalized with COVID-19.

[09:00:01]

Twenty-three states, nearly half the country, reporting record highs. We're watching two critical meetings today.