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As Texas and Georgia Reverse Reopening, New York Reports a Day With Zero Deaths; Interview with Florida Doctor Nicholas Namias; One in Five Texas Teachers Considering Leaving Profession. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired July 13, 2020 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Georgia has seen an increase in hospitalizations, deaths and new cases of COVID-19.

Now the Georgia World Congress Center originally opened as an overflow hospital back in April, I was open for about a month during what they thought was going to be the peak of the virus in the state.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Hour two now, I'm Brianna Keilar. And with one out of every 100 Americans now infected, the coronavirus is ravaging the U.S., that is a fact. The Trump White House is failing in its coronavirus response, that is another fact, as it tries to say that there is a deep state -- within the CDC, now.

And the president and his inner circle are inexplicably turning on Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, who has angered the president by getting too much good press -- according to one source -- and contradicting him publicly.

And despite being sidelined by the White House, Dr. Fauci is still speaking out. Moments ago, he said, quote, "We haven't even begun to see the end of COVID-19." He called it the most challenging public health crisis he has ever faced. He also weighed in on what the U.S. has gotten wrong and what it will take now to stop the spread.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTOIUS DISEASES: We did not shut down entirely. That's the reason why when we went up, we started to come down, and then we plateaued at a level that was really quite high.

You don't necessarily need to shut down again, but pull back a bit and then proceed in a very prudent way of observing the guidelines of going from step to step.

There are things you can do now: physical distance, wearing a mask, avoiding crowds, washing hands. Those things, as simple as they are, can turn it around.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KEILAR: CNN's Nick Watt is in Los Angeles now with more on the situation in several hotspots that we're keeping our eye on. Nick, what are you seeing?

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first, that one in 100 Americans infected that you just mentioned, that really struck me. Here in Los Angeles, it's actually one in 25. I mean, that means that when you go out to the grocery store or the beach, the chances are very, very high that you will at least see somebody who has this virus. This is not an abstract, vague concept. It is in our communities. And in many places, it's only getting worse.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WATT (voice-over): Florida is smashing records, more than 15,000 new COVID cases Sunday, the most logged in any state, any day, ever.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to get control of these numbers. These numbers are out of control.

WATT (voice-over): Disney World just opened two parks; two more will open Wednesday. But if you don't wear a mask, you won't get the photo from your ride. Seriously, that's the enforcement.

JEROME ADAMS, SURGEON GENERAL: We can turn this thing around in two to three weeks if we can get a critical mass of people wearing face coverings, practicing at least six feet of social distancing.

WATT (voice-over): There's no federal mandate. Meanwhile, in Texas, the average daily death toll just doubled in a week.

MAYOR STEVE ADLER (D), AUSTIN, TEXAS: The failure at the statewide level to have a mandate on masking when we opened up the economy is one of the chief reasons we are where we are today.

WATT (voice-over): Some, now calling Houston the new New York. The mayor wants his city shut down.

MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER (D), HOUSTON, TEXAS: For the next couple of weeks, to take the energy away from this virus.

WATT (voice-over): Harvard researchers say these eight entire states should do the same.

THOMAS TSAI, SURGEON, BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL: What we need to do is reinstitute measures to flatten the curve until we can get control of the pandemic once again in these states.

WATT (voice-over): Georgia's governor is resistant, but Atlanta already rolled back to phase one. The field hospital is reopening downtown, the mayor tested positive.

MAYOR KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS (D) ATLANTA, GEORGIA: We are a textbook example of how quickly this virus spreads. We had one child in the house who was asymptomatic. I was also asymptomatic, and my husband doesn't have any underlying health conditions, and this has hit him really hard.

WATT (voice-over): Still, the Trump administration wants schools reopened whatever the cost.

BETSY DEVOS, SECRETARY OF EDUCATION: The rule should be that kids go back to school this fall.

WATT (voice-over): Florida is now mandating schools open next month, but how remains unclear.

TSAI: We can beat this, we've been this in New York, we've beaten this in Massachusetts. There is a way forward, it just requires the will in order to execute this game plan.

WATT (voice-over): New York City opened slowly, mandated masks, and just reported no deaths from COVID-19 in a day, zero.

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Twenty-four hours where no one died, let's have many more days like that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATT: Now, as we talk about opening schools and colleges, a couple of interesting studies, one out of the U.K., which suggests that if you're infected, after about a month, your antibody response and therefore your immunity will begin to decline. Another study suggests one in three young adults are at risk of severe COVID-19. And a lot of that, Brianna, is down to smoking.

[14:05:16]

KEILAR: To smoking, OK. Nick, thank you so much for that report.

As the pandemic ravages the U.S., the president chose to ramp up his campaign of misinformation by retweeting a conspiracy theory post from a former game show host. Chuck Woolery accused everyone from the CDC to the Democratic Party of lying about coronavirus.

So to be clear, instead of listening to doctors and scientists, the president would like you to listen to this guy.

TEXT: Chuck Woolery: The most outrageous lies are the ones about COVID-19. Everything is lying. The CDC, Media, Democrats, our Doctors, not all but most, that we are told to trust. I think it's all about the election and keeping the economy from coming back, which is about the election. I'm sick of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(APPLAUSE)

CHUCK WOOLERY, HOST, LOVE CONNECTION: Welcome to the show. You (ph) know (ph), there are more than 60 million single adults in the United States. So here on "Love Connection," we've got a new way for singles to meet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: So here's the thing. The numbers don't lie. Right now, more than 135,000 people have died from coronavirus in the U.S. That's more than the number of American lives lost in the First World War. Also, there is still no national testing or tracing strategy. And it is July.

I want to bring in Dr. Nicholas Namias. He is the chief of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

And first, sir, tell us what your reaction is to the president retweeting a post alleging that the CDC and Democrats -- maybe that's not as surprising, but he's saying that doctors, most of them, are also lying.

NICHOLAS NAMIAS, CHIEF OF TRAUMA AND SURGICAL CRITICAL CARE, JACKSON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL: It's unbelievable. This is an old playbook, to find an enemy, divide the people against themselves, discredit the press, discredit the intellectuals. We've seen this before and it's happening again right now, it's unbelievable. I mean, I'm the president of the medical staff here, a little medical staff. And I know better than to do something like that, and this coming from the president of the United States.

KEILAR: The press secretary at the White House just said, moments ago, that there are rogue individuals in the CDC. So that argument that we've heard so often, coming from the Trump administration and his supporters, that there's a deep state, she's now applying that to the CDC, which is obviously essential in this fight. What are your concerns there?

NAMIAS: I'm disgusted at this -- this attitude. I mean, there are certain things in life where you just have to have some trust. And I think, you know, Dr. Fauci and the CDC are the most respected medical professionals in the world, and this is pure politics, this is just trying to rally up the base. This is not about medicine or science, this is pure politics.

KEILAR: So you're there, you're in Miami, you're in one of the hotspots. Tell us what you're seeing today.

NAMIAS: Well, what we're seeing is ramping up every day, the number of patients that need intensive care unit beds. And I'm on the phone several times a week with the CEO about which beds we can next turn into COVID beds. Because they require isolation, ideally they have negative pressure. So it's a continuous race against the patients that are coming in, to prepare facilities for them. It's a real challenge.

KEILAR: The surgeon general has suggested that the spike in numbers, it can actually be turned around in the next two weeks, two to three weeks, he said, if people wear their masks and they social distance. Do you think that that's feasible?

NAMIAS: No, not in two weeks. Because just the incubation time for the virus precludes that. So in order to get this thing to turn around, it's going to take longer than that and it's going to take compliance. And you have a group of the population who believes this is a hoax. So for those people, they're not going to comply no matter what. So we've got a real problem, and it stems from the leadership.

KEILAR: So, you know, part of the population things this is a hoax, but you've also got, as you're aware, Dr. Namias, this other part of the population, which is young. And you know, we always talk about how young -- we were all young once, so we are experts on this, right? What when you're young and you do think you're invincible, you start to realize that's not the case as you get older.

But we're seeing that in practice, and it's really alarming, the result. So what does it take -- what do you think it might take to reverse that trend and what would your appeal be to young people who are behaving in a way that is not helping their country?

NAMIAS: Well, until enough of those young people lose an elder loved one, we're not going to see a change. And we're losing some young people too, I mean, make no mistake about it. Young people are dying, 17-year-old in Florida, 11-year-old in Florida. We have 30-somethings in the intensive care until on ventilators, young people are dying.

So eventually all those who are out at the COVID parties will know somebody who knows somebody who died, and maybe pay attention.

KEILAR: Yes. And even -- look, even as people say young kids aren't as affected, we spoke last week with a medical examiner who had just been alerted that a six-month-old had died and was coming his way. So this is tragic in all age groups.

[14:10:03]

And we really appreciate your insight here, Dr. Namias. Thank you for joining us from Miami.

NAMIAS: Thank you.

KEILAR: The White House says all schools should reopen, even though the secretary of education cannot articulate a plan. There is no plan how to do this. Next, I'll be speaking to a high school teacher in Texas who says that all classes should be online this fall.

Plus, the mayor of Atlanta describes how she believes she contracted COVID.

And Hong Kong, closing schools and Disneyland again with a new wave of infections there. Is this a preview of what's to come in America?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:15:01]

KEILAR: We have some breaking news. The nation's second-largest school district says it will not begin the school year with students physically in class. We're talking about L.A. Unified School District. And it says, quote, "The health and safety of all in the district is not something we can compromise." This district serves more than 600,000 students, and this is the debate facing teachers all across the country. They're weighing their risks of returning to the classroom amid the president's push to reopen schools.

A source close to the White House Coronavirus Task Force tells CNN that schools should probably not reopen if infections in their specific community have risen for five straight days. CNN pointedly asked Education Secretary Betsy DeVos about the White House's plan to protect students and faculty if schools reopen in the fall, and here was her response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR, STATE OF THE UNION: Should schools in the United States follow the CDC recommendations or not?

DEVOS: Dr. Redfield has clearly said these are recommendations and every situation is going to look slightly different. And the key for education leaders -- and these are smart people who can figure things out. The CDC guidelines are just that, meant to be flexible and meant to be applied as appropriate for the situation.

BASH: You're asking students to go back, so why do you not have guidance on what a school should do, just weeks before you want those schools to reopen? And what happens if it faces an outbreak?

DEVOS: You know, there's really good examples that have been utilized in the private sector and elsewhere, also with frontline workers and hospitals. And all of that data and all of that information and all of those examples can be referenced by --

BASH: I'm not -- OK, but I'm not hearing --

DEVOS: -- school leaders who have the opportunity --

BASH: -- a plan from the Department of Education. Do you have a plan for what students --

DEVOS: But the -- the plan --

BASH: -- and what schools should do?

DEVOS: -- so schools should do what's right on the ground at that time for their students and for their situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: All right, Jon Ladner is a high school teacher in Denton, Texas. So this is not just some academic debate for him. Your state right now is seeing a sustained, marked jump in infections, and yet state education leaders are moving ahead right now with plans to reopen schools next month, even though parents in your district can opt out to have schooling online.

I know that you wrote a Facebook post about why you think schools should be all online in the fall. Tell us how -- tell us why you think that is, and also how you came to this decision even as -- you know, we know -- I think everyone wants kids back in school so we're negotiating, we're balancing these things. Tell us about that.

JON LADNER, TEXAS TEACHER: Well, I mean, I definitely believe that kids learn better in the classroom, I teach better in the classroom. But the fact of the matter is, we're in one of the epicenters of the virus right now.

I know a lot of people are probably looking at this past spring and saying that, you know, we don't necessarily want a repetition of that. However, I mean ,you've got to understand that we turned on a dime there. You know, we -- with no preparation, with no warning, we had to rework everything about what we do just from the ground up.

And the fact that, you know, Governor Greg Abbott took as long as he did to declare that schools would be closed, it put our districts in an additional bind where we couldn't -- we -- they couldn't make decisions about like how grades would work for the remainder of the semester, for example. And it's hard to maintain student accountability without that sort of thing in place. I mean, that's part of just how schools works.

And so if we make the commitment now, really seeing just how sharp the rise in cases is, if we make the commitment now to prepare for online instruction in the fall, we can be much more prepared to do so.

KEILAR: So do you feel like you have that? Do you feel like there's a plan for how you do this?

LADNER: Well, right now, the plan from the Texas Education Agency is for all schools to offer face-to-face instruction for a full academic schedule. And that's insane. Right now, teachers are scared, teachers are going out, they're writing their wills. One in five teachers in Texas right now is considering leaving the profession.

Personally, I know teachers who are older than I am who are choosing to retire early, teachers who are younger than I am who are changing careers. And we're also talking about two-income households who are deciding, You know what, we can make one income work for now. And that's the anxiety among teachers right now.

KEILAR: Yes. Look, my sister's a teacher and she's a single mom. So I'm wondering what happens if she gets sick, right? When she goes back to school, who's going to take care of her if she gets sick? She has two kids, what does she do?

So all of these teachers are trying to figure this out. These are the existential questions that you're dealing with that you haven't had to before. What do you think the threshold -- so, look, once those teachers who decide they're going to stay in the profession, they're going to go back into the classroom, they don't have a choice, they have to do it, they go back in.

[14:20:17]

Do you have a sense of what the threshold is or the tolerance level is for an outbreak? Is it one sick kid, is it 10? How do they do this?

LADNER: I don't know the answer to that question specifically, but according to the TEA's new guidelines, schools are not going to be allowed to -- school campuses will not be allowed to remain closed for longer than five consecutive days. And I mean, that's ignoring all of the facts about how this virus works.

KEILAR: So you've seen the story, right? That has come out of Arizona, where you had three teachers, right? They had a sort of a summer school virtual program for two weeks, to help kids catch up. Obviously, there's remediation you have to be doing, that's something that you're going to be struggling with here in the near term, and maybe even longer than that.

But they had it so there were three teachers in a classroom, physically in a classroom, they were wearing masks, they were socially distancing. All of them, all three in one of those classrooms got COVID, one of them died.

So you're looking at that example. I'm sure a number of other teachers are. Do you feel like your administration and the Texas health officials are?

LADNER: The Texas Education Agency obviously is not. I know that my district, along with many other districts, they're trying to -- they've spent the summer trying to come up with plans where we can get, you know, some of our more vulnerable populations, our special ed populations, our children with early literacy levels, we can get them into the classroom with much more distance. But the Texas Education Agency, they're not even giving us the freedom to do that.

KEILAR: Yes. And you're indoors, right? This is the issue that we're seeing increasingly with the science. Indoors is the problem. And you know, are they just --

(CROSSTALK)

LADNER: Can I just interject there?

KEILAR: Yes.

LADNER: Can I interject there? Indoors with windows that don't open, and with air conditioning systems that frequently break down.

KEILAR: So nothing's changed since we were in school? I see, with the air conditioning, right?

(LAUGHTER)

And there's no -- so and there's no discussion about how they are -- I mean, look, it would be expensive to retrofit a classroom, it would be expensive to replace HVAC units. But you're not hearing anything about that?

LADNER: Look, we -- I don't think it's a surprise to anyone that teachers often buy their own supplies. Right now, what that looks like is building their own plexiglass shields for their desks.

KEILAR: Yes. It's crazy. Jon, you guys are in -- you are doing such important work and you're in a bind and you shouldn't have to figure out all these answers on your own. So thanks for telling us exactly what you're dealing with, we appreciate it.

LADNER: Well, thank you so much.

KEILAR: And ahead, the mayor of Atlanta reveals how she thinks she was infected with the coronavirus.

[14:23:13]

Plus, breaking news in California, a body has been found in the lake where "Glee" actress Naya Rivera went missing. We'll have a news conference that is happening just a short time from now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: We have some breaking news. A body has been found in the lake where "Glee" actress Naya Rivera went missing last week. The 33-year- old was presumed to have drowned after renting a boat on Lake Piru. Her four-year-old son was found adrift in the boat, alone.

I want to go now to CNN's Stephanie Elam. Tell us what you know, Stephanie.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, well this was the sixth day that they had been searching for Naya Rivera. We understand that a body was found floating in the northeast part of that lake.

Officials, stopping short of actually saying that this is the body of the "Glee" actress, but we do know that the Ventura County Sherriff's Department has notified Rivera's family and also let the Medical Examiner's Office know as well about this body.

It's been a very difficult search with that very murky water there in Lake Piru, so they've been doing a lot of it by hand, using a specially trained dog to sniff and see if they can tell if something was happening there in that area, also using sonar to see if they could locate a body here.

What we know originally has happened, based on officials' conversation with the four-year-old boy that was found in the boat, he was wearing his lifejacket. But the other life vest was inside of the boat. They do not believe, based on that conversation, that she had made it back to shore.

But still, unclear what happened, what could have led to this tragic, tragic ending here. So not completely confirming it, but still, after six days of searing, they did find a body today, floating in the water -- Brianna.

KEILAR: OK. Stephanie, thank you so much for that update. We'll continue to follow this story, I know so many people are interested and mourning, certainly, someone that they have very much enjoyed seeing on television. Thank you, Stephanie Elam.

And ahead, South Africa, suspending alcohol sales and enforcing a curfew in the middle of a wave of infections, a new wave there.

[14:29:53]

Plus, a college student who says too many of her peers care more about Bud Light than grandma dying. Why she thinks some young people are not taking the pandemic seriously.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)