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"Miracle Larry" Leaves Hospital After 128-Day Battle with COVID; Ocasio-Cortez: Don't Need Yoho to Apologize When Doesn't Want To; Education Secretary Falsely Claims Kids are Virus "Stoppers"; Neil Bradley, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Chief Policy Officer, Discusses Trump Using Virus to Crack Down on Immigration & Big Business Sues. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired July 23, 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]
LARRY "MIRACLE LARRY" KELLY, CORONAVIRUS SURVIVOR: Well, Jackie played the phone conversations with the doctor with her crying and telling them all the gloom and doom.
And Jackie -- we're all listening to it and Jackie and Dawn were getting upset and they looked at me and I wasn't. And they were staring at me and I said to them, I know how it ends.
(LAUGHTER)
DAWN KELLY, WIFE OF LARRY KELLY: And we went from crying to cracking up.
L. KELLY: You know, I can't imagine what they went through that 51 days. And I didn't even know it was 51 days until I was told that after I woke up.
I was in a very dark place. And you know, I didn't see any white light. But I saw a lot of black and dark and a pit. And I thought I was heading the other direction, which is why I probably survived. I kept thinking let me explain myself.
(CROSSTALK)
L. KELLY: You know? But it wasn't easy.
And I listen to, them -- this disease not only effects individuals -- and I'm very lucky. I open my eyes on Easter Sunday, which is why I believe the moniker "Miracle Larry" came from.
But on Easter Sunday, in New York, 527 people died. So, people were dying all around me and I didn't die. And is that a miracle? I don't know. You know?
But this disease effects not only individuals but their entire families. And I feel so much for the people who lost loved ones.
And it's on everybody to wear their mask. You know? You don't want this. You don't want this. It was not easy to get here. I pat myself on the back but I thank all my friends and family. Social
media just blew up. There was so much love sent that I know that God had a hand in it.
And every time I talk about it, I get emotional because I know where I came from and where I am now. It's remarkable.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: I think that's such an incredibly normal response, Larry. When you know the odds that you beat and that there are other families. Watching Dawn and Jackie, it's amazing to see them enjoying you and clutching to you and knowing they have this time with you.
As you're aware, there are other families that aren't. And you're putting this message out that people need to take this seriously.
I'm sure that at some point during your battle in the hospital -- or maybe not, you tell me. Were you confronting the possibility that -- were you ever lucid in knowing I may not make this?
L. KELLY: I think my gift was that I remember a lot of the coma and I was able to keep my center. That's the way I explain it to people. I have moments of incredible lucidity. But more moments of extreme terror.
And you know, there's so many commercials on that say we're all in this together. And that's the only message I can give people.
Is that I was a stranger to those people in at Mt. Sinai and they worked tirelessly to keep me alive. And I was a stranger in the Jewish home and they worked tirelessly to make me functional, for no other reason than that's what they do.
I'm glad I'm in New York. We're at our best in moments of crisis.
And this disease is no joke. And if there's anybody out there thinking it's a big hoax, I'm so glad my family.
And a lot of my friends who know me are following protocol because I don't want to lose any of them.
JACKIE KELLY, DAUGHTER OF LARRY KELLY: We know how bad it can get.
D. KELLY: You've seen it.
J. KELLY: Yes. We've lived it.
L. KELLY: No matter how old you are, where you are.
J. KELLY: We lived it.
KEILAR: And you lived it. And you lived it with him, Dawn and Jackie. You were there confronting the reality of losing him.
I also want to ask you, Larry, one of the reasons, not just your sense of humor, that you're so beloved, and you had so much love coming in as you worked through this, is because you're a retired high school assistant principal. So, you have years and years of kids who knew you.
But that also brings me to the question, as we look at the next phase of this crisis, which is, when it comes to schools. And you were 64, I believe. I think there are a number of teachers who were probably about that age as well.
And they're looking, right --
(CROSSTALK)
[14:35:04]
KEILAR: OK, so, Dawn, so you know.
I wonder, Larry, and Dawn, what you have to say --
(CROSSTALK)
KEILAR: Sorry, Dawn, what?
D. KELLY: I'm not retired.
KEILAR: And you're not retired.
So, what do you think of what is now being potentially asked of teachers going back into the classroom?
L. KELLY: We have to proceed with extreme caution. It has to be crystal clear that the kids aren't at risk and the teachers -- I'm nervous about my wife going back into a crowd. Hopefully, she's old enough where she can choose whether she can go back. But I don't know.
D. KELLY: There's so many unknowns.
L. KELLY: The numbers are rising everywhere. It's just --
D. KELLY: Frightening.
L. KELLY: We have to proceed slowly.
J. KELLY: No need to rush.
L. KELLY: Yes. I understand that this disease has disrupted so many people's lives. I was thinking, if my kids were young, how do we do day care while this disease is going on? How do we watch our kids? And how do we send them to school on a staggered schedule?
And so I understand parents' total frustration and their needs. And plus, so many of them have lost their jobs.
This disease is devastating. And it is the moment of our lives, actually. And I don't know.
J. KELLY: Proceed with caution. L. KELLY: Yes. I don't know.
D. KELLY: I agree.
KEILAR: "Miracle Larry" Kelly, I just want to say thank you so much for joining us.
And also for -- look, you're a miracle. And you're here as a voice for many who couldn't make it as well. And we appreciate hearing from you.
Dawn, Jackie, thank you so much for joining us as well.
L. KELLY: Thank you.
KEILAR: It is great to see you, Larry. It is great to see you.
L. KELLY: Thank you.
J. KELLY: Thank you, bye-bye.
L. KELLY: Thank you.
KEILAR: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:41:23]
KEILAR: Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is refuses to accept the apology of her Republican colleague, Ted Yoho.
Yoho took to the House floor to say that he was sorry after a reporter said he overheard Yoho calling the freshman Democrat an F'ing "B"- word. And Yoho has claimed that did not happen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. TED YOHO (R-FL): I rise to apologize for the abrupt manner of the conversation I had with my colleague from New York. It's true we disagree on policies and visions for America but that does not mean we should be disrespectful.
Having been married for 45 years, with two daughters, I'm very cognizant of my language.
The offensive name-calling words attributed to me by the press were never spoken to my colleague. And if they were construed that way, I apologize for their misunderstanding.
I cannot apologize for my passion or for loving my God, my family, and my country.
I yield back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: This morning Ocasio-Cortez responded. She said she's experienced this type of harassment before and it's not OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): I do not need Representative Yoho to apologize to me. Clearly, he does not want to. Clearly, when given the opportunity, he will not.
And I will not stay up late at night waiting for an apology from a man who has no remorse over calling women and using abusive language towards women.
But what I do have issue with is using women, our wives and daughters, as shields and excuses for poor behavior.
Mr. Yoho mentioned he has a wife and two daughters. I am two years younger than Mr. Yoho's youngest daughter.
I am someone's daughter, too. My father, thankfully, is not alive to see how Mr. Yoho treated his daughter. My mother got to see Mr. Yoho's disrespect on the floor of this House towards me on television.
And I am here because I have to show my parents that I am their daughter and that they did not raise me to accept abuse from men.
What I believe is that having a daughter does not make a man decent. Having a wife does not make a decent man. Treating people with dignity and respect makes a decent man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Yoho has not responded to those comments from the congresswoman.
It's no secret the president wants schools to reopen. But he and his education secretary are making dubious claims about children and the virus. We're going to fact-check.
[14:44:26]
And news on the future of movies and movie theaters as the pandemic is predicted to drag on for much longer than previously thought.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: A 9-year-old girl in Florida died from coronavirus, becoming the state's youngest reported death from COVID complications. Records showed girl had no known contact with anyone who has tested positive. And it does not appear she had any underlying health conditions.
According to Health Records, she is the fifth minor to die from the coronavirus in Florida.
As the debate heats up over how and if schools should reopen in the fall Education Secretary Betsy DeVos made this claim:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BETSY DEVOS, EDUCATION SECRETARY (voice-over): More and more studies show that kids are actually stoppers of the disease. And they don't get it and transmit it themselves. So we should be in a posture of the -- the default should be getting back to school, kids in-person in the classroom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: That is simply not true. Kids are not "stoppers" of the coronavirus.
A German study cited by the Department of Education found a low infection rate in schools. One research saying, quote, "Children may even act as a break on the infection."
[14:50:00]
But here's the catch on that. That study is not peer reviewed. Meaning, Betsy DeVos should not hang her hat on it. It should not be used as a guide for these kinds of decisions.
President Trump echoing this same false claim.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They don't bring it home with them. Now, they don't catch it easily. They don't bring it home easily. And if they do catch it, they get better fast.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: That would be nice if it were true. But here's the science. A recent study from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found children between 10 and 19 years old transmit the virus just as easily as adults.
And as recently as June 30th, the head of the American CDC, Dr. Robert Redfield, said, quote, "We don't know the impact that children have yet on the transmission cycle."
It's not a question of wanting to reopen schools. It's a question of how.
Four pediatrics and teachers groups banded together in this statement saying, quote, "Returning to school is important for the healthy development and well-being of children. But we must pursue reopening in a way that is safe for all students, teachers and staff."
"We should leave it to the health experts to tell us when the time is best to open up school buildings and listen to educators and administrators to shape how we do it."
We have new studies just in. One showing that the best way to stop the spread. And another is naming the medical conditions associated with the most serious COVID cases.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:56:14]
KEILAR: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and over major business groups have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. This complaint centers around a recent directive banning work visa holders from entering the country.
The proclamation, which will last at least six months, if not longer, and which is expressly intended to bar hundreds of thousands of workers from entering country, is inflicting severe economic harm on a wide range of American businesses across all economic sectors. That is what these sectors are saying.
I bring in Neil Bradley to talk about this. He's the executive vice president and chief policy officer for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Neil, thanks for coming on to walk us through this.
Tell us more about this lawsuit. Tell us about the people affected here and the kinds of jobs that they would be coming in to fill.
NEIL BRADLEY, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT & CHIEF POLICY OFFICER, U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Well, thanks, Brianna. It's a really important topic.
So every year, hundreds of thousands of experts -- we're talking about engineers, doctors, nurses, scientists, executives, people with skills -- come temporarily into the United States to help out with certain business operations. They're not permanent, legal immigrants. They're temporary workers who come in.
The president's proclamation, if allowed to go into effect, would bar for the remainder of this year and maybe even longer those experts from being able to come into this country and help us build back our jobs and our recovery here in the United States.
KEILAR: And you argue that hurts the U.S. economy? How so?
BRADLEY: For example, a manufacturer we heard, from building an assembly line here in the United States. That assembly line will employ American workers. Part of the technology online is overseas. They want to bring in an engineer to set that up. They won't be able to do that under the president's proclamation.
A resort out in the Rocky Mountains. Winter is a big time for skiing and winter sports out there. They have temporary workers who come in and help man the resorts and are hoping to reenter this winter. Under the president's proclamation it won't be available.
It runs the gamut from the type of employers we're hearing from across the country who will be negatively affected by the president's proclamation.
KEILAR: The president's point is it eats into American jobs during a pandemic. What is the reaction you are expecting to get from the administration, having filed this lawsuit, knowing what his position is on this?
BRADLEY: Well, we've been trying to convince the administration that employment's not the zero-sum game. Take, for example, the manufacturing line I talked about. That person is not taking a job away from an American. They're helping create jobs here in America.
So we think that the argument that this is a one-for-one displacement is not borne out by any economic studies or facts.
And the reality is that businesses struggling to reopen, who are trying to help our economy recover, they're the ones at the forefront of this litigation because they know this is going to hold them back.
Beyond that, it's simply illegal for the proclamation to go into effect. No president has the authority to turn off the legal immigration, legal worker visas created by Congress.
KEILAR: Neil, thank you so much for coming on to talk to us about this. We really appreciate it.
BRADLEY: Thanks for having me.
KEILAR: All right. Neil Bradley, with the Chamber of Commerce.
Our special coverage continues now with Brooke Baldwin.
[15:00:02]
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Thank you very much.
Hi, there. I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN.
Four million. That is how many confirmed cases of COVID-19 the U.S. is set to surpass likely at some point today.
