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Georgia Teachers Protest School Reopening Plan; Pandemic Threatens Generation of Women; New York State Schools to Reopen. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired August 07, 2020 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:02]

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: But that number, as large as it is, may not be telling the full story. Some 29 states are now showing a decline in testing compared to last week, while the seven-day average of new tests is down nearly 10 percent nationwide.

Now, the number of Americans who are dying in this pandemic is now averaging 1,000 people per day. That's over the last week-and-a-half, and one influential model saying the widespread use of masks could save as many as 70,000 lives through the end of this year.

But the Trump White House, which oftentimes cites that very model, still will not implement a federal mask mandate. And now five former directors for the Centers for Disease Control are blasting this administration for its response and its mixed messaging.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. THOMAS FRIEDEN, FORMER DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: It's one thing if the president were to decide, for example, no, we're not going to recommend masks. It would be wrong, but he could make that decision.

But it's quite another thing, at the same press conference where the CDC says, everyone should wear a mask, for the president say, I'm not going to wear one. That is chaotic leadership.

DR. RICHARD BESSER, FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: If you have politicians saying that CDC guidances is a barrier to getting children back into school, instead of the road map for doing it safely, the whole system breaks down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: That last voice there, that was Dr. Richard Besser, one of those former CDC directors, talking about the path forward for the nation's schools. He will be my guest here live in just a moment.

And, earlier, we learned what the largest school districts in the United States -- that's New York City -- will do this fall. Here is New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. (BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): Today is the deadline to look at the infection rates and make a determination.

By our infection rates, all school districts can open everywhere in the state.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BALDWIN: All school districts can open anywhere in the state.

Let's start there and dig a little deeper into this decision by Governor Cuomo with -- joining me now, CNN's Dianne Gallagher and Alexandra Field.

And so, Alex, first to you here in New York.

Talk to me more just about Governor Cuomo's decision, and, really, tell me what this means for kids both in the city and across the state.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is big news, Brooke, because you are talking about the largest school district in the country, New York City. This is, of the 10 largest school districts in the country, the only school district that will be going back with actual classroom sessions, at least to start.

The other nine in that 10 are doing exclusively online learning. We're talking about, statewide, 1.1 million students -- I'm sorry -- New York City school district, we're talking about 1.1 million students. You're talking about more than 200 (sic) staff members.

Across the state, we're looking at some 750 school districts. The governor is saying that there is a green light. You can send students back to school in every region of the state. But if you start to see that infection rate surge or spike, then the schools could close region by region.

However, there's still a lot of questions that remain because this has to be done district by district. Each district had to submit a plan to both the Health Department and the board of education -- the Education Department. And they also have to have plans that will be posted online for what they will do when and if they need to turn to remote learning, how they will proceed with contact tracing, should that be necessary, and also how they would do testing, if that were to become necessary.

On top of that, the governor is saying each of these districts is going to have to host discussion forums for parents of these students across the state who will be heading back to school and also for the teachers, because the big question here, Brooke, is, even though the governor is giving all these schools the green light to open, it comes down to whether or not the teachers feel comfortable going back into those schools, and whether or not parents feel comfortable sending their kids to the schools. BALDWIN: We have got a teacher, talking to him in just a little bit

here about any sort of trepidation, understandably so, about going back into the classroom.

So -- and then, Dianne, you are in Atlanta. You and I have been talking every single day this week. You have been talking every day about the pitfalls of various school reopenings in the South, with cases on the rise there.

What's the big picture there today?

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so big picture is, cases continue to rise in Georgia.

In fact, the Department of Health just released their numbers for today, Brooke, 4,177 new cases in a 24-hour period here in Georgia, and 92 deaths reported. And this comes as we close out the first week of in-person classes in schools all across the state.

Now, we saw several districts that dealt with kids who came in on that first day and happened to test positive, and then they had to send others home to quarantine. But we also saw students who went back to school and started posting photos and talking about the fact that they didn't necessarily feel safe because they didn't feel the proper measures were being taken.

Take North Paulding High School. A student there, Hannah Watters, posted a photo that then went viral of a very crowded hallway during class change, where most people are not wearing masks.

And, look, she said that she felt like she was getting into good trouble, necessary trouble, with a nod to the late John Lewis there, because she knew that she might get in trouble. And she did. She got suspended.

[15:05:05]

Now, we spoke with her mother and Hannah today. They said that the school principal actually called and rescinded that suspension, saying it will not be on her record.

And Hannah's going to go back to school on Monday. The district has said that that particular photo needs some context, because it is during a transition period. So kids aren't sitting around standing with each other. They're just walking by each other.

But they took Thursday and Friday off of this week to kind of take a reset. What could they learn from those first three days in school before they go back?

Brooke, if we have learned anything, it's that this has been a real- time real-world experiment with real people.

BALDWIN: Yes.

GALLAGHER: And these districts are trying to kind of figure it out as they go along, bringing kids back, because they want to be back with their friends, with their teachers, learning in person.

For a lot of parents, that's important, so they can work, so they can do other types of things. But we're also seeing how quickly COVID can spread and what happens when someone tests positive and if you're not taking the proper precautions.

BALDWIN: Yes. No, we're seeing it all play out for the first time here, especially there in The South.

Dianne, thank you, Dianne and Alex.

My next guest says it is absolutely unacceptable that the U.S. has not been able to come close to other countries' responses to the virus.

He is Dr. Richard Besser. He was acting CDC chief during the H1N1 swine flu pandemic of 2009.

So, Dr. Besser, great to have you on. Welcome.

BESSER: Thanks, Brooke. It's great to be here.

BALDWIN: Let's start with New York, Governor Cuomo's decision, saying all schools, yes, open in the country's biggest school district. Do you think that's a good idea? And do you think this 5 percent threshold is safe?

BESSER: Well, what I really like in what he said is that, your consideration of whether a school should open has to start with how much disease transmission is going on in the community.

In order to open a school safely, at a minimum, you have to make sure that things are under control in the community, that you can identify cases quickly, you can -- you can do contact tracing and isolation.

But it's not the only piece of what needs to be in place. Schools have a lot of things that they need to have done for it to be a safe place for students, for teachers and for staff.

And I worry that a lot of schools, especially schools in lower-income neighborhoods, especially schools that serve a predominantly black and brown student body, don't have those resources to hire staff to do the cleaning, hire staff to do the screening of students, teachers and staff, to be able to decompress classrooms, so that there -- you're able to do that social distancing of six feet in the classroom.

That costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time. And I worry that only wealthy neighborhoods may have had the time to get that in place.

BALDWIN: We know that the president, Dr. Besser, continues to say, open the schools, kids are immune, which we know is not the case.

The CDC has revised its school guidelines on reopening, saying that children don't suffer as much from the virus as adults and are less likely to spread it.

How concerned are you that the CDC is being politicized? BESSER: Yes, it's one of the biggest concerns with the response to

the pandemic. And you never want to have people question whether the advice that's being put forward is based on politics or is based on the best public health science.

If you go to CDC's Web site, their guidance around how to open schools safely has terrific information. The intro part of that now talks about the benefits of children being in school.

And I'm a pediatrician. I'm a parent. Children belong in school. We need to get children into school, but you need to do it safely. And the resources haven't been coming down from the federal government. And the resources aren't there to ensure that teachers and staff are safe in all schools.

There are some schools where they are ready, and it's very exciting that some children will be going back to school. There has to be the recognition, though, that, as children go back to school, there will be cases of COVID in those schools.

(CROSSTALK)

BESSER: And schools have to be ready. They have to work with public health to control that.

BALDWIN: Is the CDC getting that? Do you worry, as some parents out there maybe are thinking, all right, well, we see the White House saying this and, wow, look at the CDC echoing that?

Does that cause you any concern, or no?

BESSER: Well, I have great concern that we're not hearing from CDC every day, because, if we were hearing from CDC today, they would be talking about the importance of getting children into school safely, not just the importance of kids being in school, but the importance of doing it so that children, teachers and staff are safe.

And they would be explaining all of the components that need to be there for that to happen. And it's not just a matter of getting cases down in communities. But if you're in a community where there's widespread transmission, it's absolutely impossible to get a school open without there being significant amount of disease being spread.

[15:10:00]

BALDWIN: I wanted to ask you, too, big picture.

Let me throw the cover up of "The New York Times" just for -- everyone can see this. It really amplifies how hard the U.S. has been hit, and, consequently, how the U.S. has handled it.

And "The Times" writes: "Slowing the coronavirus has been especially difficult for the United States because of its tradition of prioritizing individualism and missteps by the Trump administration."

And, Dr. Besser, listen, we could have a whole conversation on the administration's missteps. I don't want to focus on that.

I want to focus on the point about individualism. And I'm curious, just how much do you think our nation's prioritizing individualism has really set us back in responding to this pandemic?

BESSER: I think the piece of that set us back is that that focus on individualism has been put forward by the chief executive, by the president.

There are times where there's been a call from the president, from presidents in the past for us coming together as a nation to do the right thing, to take actions that will help those around us. And the idea that my wearing a mask or not wearing a mask is my individual choice, when wearing that mask can help protect your health, that's not -- that's not steeped in American tradition.

That's something that we should throw out the window as part of what makes America the country it is, and say that we will come together and do the right thing. It's not a big deal to wear a mask and social distance and wash our hands and do it in the interests of not just ourselves, but those around us.

BALDWIN: Dr. Richard Besser, thank you so much.

BESSER: Thanks, Brooke.

BALDWIN: You got it.

Teachers in Georgia's largest school district, Gwinnett County, are worried about what's coming. They joined in this huge protest outside the school district's headquarters just this week. They blasted their horns in protest at putting teachers and students back in the classroom in the midst of this pandemic.

At least 260 Gwinnett County school staffers have tested positive or have been in contact with someone who was infected.

And my next guest took part in that protest. And he joins me now. He is Anthony Downer. He's a social studies teacher in the Gwinnett County Public Schools.

So, Anthony, thank you so much just for being an educator. And thank you for joining me.

I understand that the students will start the fall term next week from home. But I know teachers, you all are already in the classroom to plan, and then students will be joining in class at the end of the month.

Tell me why and what you're protesting specifically.

ANTHONY DOWNER, GEORGIA TEACHER: Absolutely.

So, GCPS released on Monday a plan to begin transitioning some populations, beginning with some special education students, back into the classroom. And that should not be our focus right now. Our focus should be on robust and equitable virtual learning.

And so we began these horn-ins, these park-ins this week to emphasize that the county cannot focus on returning students to the classroom, not when the county, Gwinnett County, has the highest number of positive cases of COVID-19 in the state of Georgia. We should be focused on giving teachers the state of mind, the consistency, the representation, and the resources they need for virtual learning.

And so we were out there, number one, to make sure that we have 100 percent virtual learning for the first nine weeks, but also to keep teachers safe, and so teachers also need the option to work from home during this time.

BALDWIN: Here is what the school district says in response: "Our district is having to make difficult decisions that we know will not be popular with everyone. We are committed to doing what we believe is best for students in terms of their health, safety and education. After all, that is our core business."

Now, I know that at least one teacher in your district, Anthony, this mother of a 4-year-old, resigned because virtual teaching is not an option. What do you want -- I heard you on the waiting the nine weeks.

What are other teachers saying to you about this?

DOWNER: First off, Ms. Newman is incredibly courageous, and she displayed some of the courage that we need from our district leaders at this time.

We need them, number one, to be very clear-eyed about where we are. And the fact of the matter is, we are now nowhere near the safety or the resources to control this virus. As you know, we are in a hot spot.

We have uncontrolled spread of the virus. And so, in my conversation with teachers, whether that be new teachers, like myself, or teachers who have spent 15, 20 years in the district, this is one of the most chaotic and worst pre-planning and preparation periods ever, because we don't have consistency.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Do you feel like a guinea pig?

DOWNER: Absolutely. I feel like this has been politicized. I feel like teachers haven't had a seat at the table. No teachers were consulted, unfortunately, with these plans.

There are even board members that were surprised when these plans were announced by the superintendent and the district office. And so absolutely feel like guinea pigs. We feel left out of the conversation, and we do not feel safe or secure.

[15:15:07]

And that's going to affect how we begin the school year next week. BALDWIN: Anthony Downer, thank you for speaking up and coming on with

me. And please stay healthy amidst all of this. Thank you, sir.

DOWNER: Thanks, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Meanwhile, millions of Americans are still out of a job and running out of options, and Congress still can't reach a deal on a new stimulus bill. In fact, they may be farther apart now than they have ever been.

And more than 60 NFL players make it official, saying that they will not play this season, citing fears for their own health. A few college football stars making the same decision. We have those details coming in.

And breaking news: The intelligence community's top election official says China and Russia are both taking action to make sure their preferred candidate wins the White House. Those breaking details ahead.

You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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BALDWIN: We're back. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Got some breaking news for you on the 2020 presidential election. The top election official in the U.S. intelligence community says two of the nation's adversaries, China and Russia, are both interfering to make sure their preferred candidate wins the White House.

CNN senior justice correspondent Evan Perez is with me now.

And, Evan, this official called his statement a -- quote, unquote -- "election threat update"? What do you know?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: That's right.

This is an update from Bill Evanina, who heads the efforts to thwart the work that these foreign countries are doing to undermine the U.S. elections in 2020. And for the first time, Brooke, we're hearing specifics about what these countries, in particular Russia and China, are up to with regard to the 2020 election.

In general terms, they're trying to sow discord. They're trying to undermine faith in the system. But we are now hearing for the first time from Bill Evanina that the Russians are essentially trying to undermine Joe Biden's campaign, while the Chinese are trying to undermine President Trump's reelection.

Let me just read you a part of what it says. He says -- quote -- "We assess the China prefers that President Trump, whom Beijing sees as unpredictable, does not win reelection. China has been expanding its influence efforts ahead of the November 2020 election to shape the policy environment of the United States, pressure political figures it views as opposed to China's interest."

As far as Russia is concerned, he says: "We assess that Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia establishment."

And this is obviously consistent with the efforts, Brooke, that the Russians were doing in 2016 trying to undermine them Democrats. At that time, the intelligence community determined that the Russians were trying to help Donald Trump get reelected.

One of the most interesting parts of this assessment from Bill Evanina, Brooke, is a reference to a Ukrainian parliamentarian by the name of Andriy Derkach. He has been working with people like Rudy Giuliani, Ron Johnson, a member of the Senate, the senator from Wisconsin, who have been doing this investigation, they say, into Joe Biden and his son's alleged corruption in Ukraine dating back to the Obama administration.

What the assessment today from Bill Evanina is that that effort is part of the Russian work to try to undermine Joe Biden, to try to make sure that Joe Biden does not win in November.

By the way, the assessment today also mentions Iran. The goal of the Iranians appears to be simply to just undermine the system, to sow discord, and divide Americans ahead of the November elections -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Russia wants him in and China wants him out.

Evan Perez, thank you for those details coming in, standing on the world stage. Thank you.

As lawmakers are struggling to reach a stimulus deal, the pandemic is now threatening to set back a generation of women, particularly women of color, who are being forced to choose between their careers and taking care of their families. So, let's have that conversation today.

And, speaking of Joe Biden, he issues a scathing response after the president, without any basis, says this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Destroy your Second Amendment, no religion, no anything, hurt the Bible, hurt God. He's against God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:28:40]

BALDWIN: Now, about that glass ceiling that women have been trying to shatter for years now, well, the pandemic is sparking fears that a generation of women will be set back almost immeasurably, job opportunities, raises, promotions falling by the wayside, as this virus strikes at the heart of what women have struggled so hard to achieve.

So, let's talk about all of this with Maya Raghu. She is the director of work force equality and senior counsel at the National Women's Law Center.

So, Maya, welcome.

MAYA RAGHU, NATIONAL WOMEN'S LAW CENTER: Hi, Brooke. Thank you.

BALDWIN: How many women are we talking about, and particularly women of color are being disproportionately affected by this pandemic, and why?

RAGHU: Brooke, there's no doubt that women, and particularly women of color, are on the front lines of this pandemic. And they are really feeling the brunt of the economic and workplace impacts almost more than anyone else.

And that's partly because they are the majority in a lot of jobs and industries that are being affected by this crisis. But it's also because they have had to take on additional caregiving and other responsibilities of the home.

And no matter what situation they're in, whether they're in a job, they're being pushed out of a job, or they're trying to get hired, they are facing really difficult choices with very few resources.

And let's not forget that we're just starting to recognize and acknowledge that we have a major child care crisis in this country. So, we're not going to be able to talk about reopening.