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Biden, Harris Together for First Time Since V.P. Selection; U.S. Sports in Limbo, Debate to Restart Boils as Response Falters; 400+ Teachers Refusing to Return, Forcing New Jersey District to go Virtual. Aired 1-1:30p ET
Aired August 12, 2020 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:00:00]
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN RIGHT NOW: I'm Brianna Keilar and I want welcome viewers here in the United States and around the world.
Just a short time from now Joe Biden and senator Kamala Harris will make their first campaign appearance together as the Democratic ticket for the 2020 presidential race. And it's historic as she becomes the first woman of color on a major ticket. Here is a clip's her answer to Biden's big question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESUMPTIVE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE: First of all, is the answer, yes?
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA): The answer is absolutely yes, Joe, and I am ready to work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Now, Harris should be arriving from Delaware any moment, and CNN Political Correspondent Arlette Saenz is there for us. Arlette, tell us what we know about this event.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will appear together first time as the Democratic ticket here in Wilmington, Delaware. They're expected to deliver remarks later this afternoon. Both of their spouses, Jill Biden and Doug Emhoff, will also be on hand for that event. But, of course, this comes as Biden has capped off a month-long search for his running mate, ultimately deciding to go with a former rival, someone who he saw tested on the campaign trail to join him on the Democratic ticket.
And I want to play a little bit more of that moment for you when Biden calls Kamala Harris yesterday on video chat to ask her if she would be his running mate. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Are you ready to go to work?
HARRIS: Oh, my God, I am so ready to go to work.
BIDEN: First of all, is the answer, yes?
HARRIS: The answer is absolutely yes, Joe, and I am ready to work. I am ready to do this with you, for you. I -- I just -- I'm just deeply honored, and I'm very excited.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: Now, Biden has been tweeting in the lead up to this event, offering a little bit of a preview of what their message could be. One of those tweets saying, if Kamala Harris and I are elected, we're going to inherit multiple crises, a nation divided and a world in disarray. We won't have a minute to waste. He adds, that's exactly why I picked her. She is ready to lead on day one.
Now, they will be appear here in Wilmington, Delaware, later today. They are holding a virtual grassroots fundraiser as they are trying to energize their supporters heading into that November election. Brianna?
KEILAR: All right. Arlette in Wilmington, thank you for that.
And now to the pandemic. For three consecutive days now, the U.S. has reported fewer than 50,000 new infections. When comparing new cases this week versus last week, the data shows new cases are trending down. The average number of new infections down by 11 percent, but that is just part of the picture. The average number of people dying from coronavirus is still hovering around 1,000. And it's been that way for two weeks now.
We often talk about the numbers and trends, but, remember, behind each of those 1,000 daily deaths is a person, and an entire family that is missing their loved one.
Just yesterday, Florida and Georgia reported their highest single-day death toll since the start of the pandemic. Those two states are also dominating with the highest number of new cases over the last seven days. Both governors of Georgia and Florida still refusing to issue a statewide mask mandate, defying the science that shows face coverings can reduce transmission.
Until Tuesday, Omaha was largest U.S. city not requiring public masks, in public. That, though, has now changed.
And there's this question that I think a lot of people have, which is, are you wearing a mask the right way? Today, there is new advice out there from the Association of American Medical Colleges about what is effective and what is not. And this national guidance includes wearing close-fitting masks with at least two layers, but preferably three, and masks in public for everyone two years and older.
The group says that masks are critically important indoors and this includes all businesses open to the public for both staff and customers as well. Joining me now is Emergency Room Physician, Dr. Rob Davidson. He is also the Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Medicare. And we also saw recent guidance from the CDC on not wearing masks with one-way valves in them. I mean, clearly a need now not just to tell Americans to wear a mask but how to wear one.
DR. ROB DAVIDSON, EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN: Yes, that's exactly right. And having the Association of American Medical Colleges speak out like this, I mean, they represent every accredited medical school in the United States and in Canada. They represent public hospitals and the V.A.
And so I think that's a big statement from them. I wish the governors of Georgia and Florida would take note and issue a mandate, but they wouldn't have to do that if the president would lead on this and issue a mandate and have every bit of their messaging be about the importance of masks, and like you said, how to wear them properly, what kind of mask to wear, because people need that information from their president.
[13:05:10]
KEILAR: There is also a new study, Doctor. It's a new modeling study that suggests that without statewide physical distancing policies, 80 percent of Americans would have been infected with COVID. What would that have looked like compared to what we're dealing with right now?
DAVIDSON: I mean, if you remember back when this all started, and I remember back in mid-March when I had to come get my daughter from school in New York City and two other kids here in Michigan had to come home from school, we shut it down in many places. Most places across this country responsibly shut it down and we kept people away from each other.
And we still saw massive numbers of human deaths, we saw massive numbers of cases unlike any other country. And then people turned a blind eye to exactly how we got to that point where we were driving the those numbers down and said, look, everything looks great. The president was tweeting to liberate places like Michigan and in places like Texas and Florida and Arizona, and now Georgia.
We know they opened up not going along with the guidance from public health officials, not remembering why exactly that we were able to control those numbers outside of the original epicenter of New York and parts of Michigan, and we see what's happening now. Like you said, we've had 16 days now straight of over 1,000 deaths. Even though numbers are down and cases down to about 40,000 or so, that is still a tremendously high number of cases per population, more than any other country in the world, maybe except for Brazil, I believe.
And I think we have to learn from this data. People always say, well, we don't have information, we don't have data, we don't know. We do. This is science. This is where trusting the scientist comes into play and we need to continue that social distancing so we can drive these numbers even down further. KEILAR: I know it must be alarming to you and a lot of people there on the frontlines to know that more than 900 healthcare workers in the U.S. have died now of COVID. This is according to a database from Kaiser Health.
And what's important to note as well is that this disproportionately affects frontline workers of color and those who experienced PPE shortages. So what else needs to be done to protect frontline workers?
DAVIDSON: We still need the president to utilize the Defense Production Act to ensure that proper PPE is available to all frontline healthcare workers. That still is not the case. I mean, I will tell you, in the area that I'm in, the numbers are under pretty good control. Our governor, Whitmer, here in Michigan has done a great job of keeping things locked down to an extent.
However, I'm still using an N95 mask, one a shift, better than used to be. We used to be from every five shifts. Those are masks that right on the box say, do not re-use. We used to use these with tuberculosis patients, other airborne pathogens and we threw them away as we left the room. And now, we're using them for a whole shift. Other places are using them for a week long or for longer than that.
And the effect of that is 900 healthcare workers are dead and there will be more to come, unless the president takes leadership, uses the Defense Production Act and make sure that that equipment is available.
KEILAR: Dr. Davidson, thank you so much.
DAVIDSON: Thank you, Brianna.
KEILAR: A teacher in South Dakota protests with her own tombstone as bikers swarm her state and the governor will not mandate masks.
Plus, a QAnon conspiracy theorist is one step closer to being elected in Congress, to Congress, winning her primary in Georgia. Her history of bigoted remarks and why this may be splitting the Republican Party.
And moments from now, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris appear together for the first time since she was named as his running mate.
This is CNN's special live coverage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:10:00]
KEILAR: Health experts say that more Americans should be taking the coronavirus more seriously, wearing masks, social distancing, staying away from large events, and they're not. And that means it's going to cost us a lot more fellow Americans and it's also likely to cost us our past times.
As sports leagues grapple with playing shortened seasons or whether to play at all, the debate is pitting politics and big money against safety, as rumors swirled ahead of the Big 10 andPAC-12 college football conferences canceling their fall seasons, President Trump weighed in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: These people are so powerful and so strong and not lots of body fat, maybe none in some cases, you know, and they're very healthy people.
You know, people don't realize it's a tiny percentage of people that get sick and they're old. It just attacks old people.
I think football is making a tragic mistake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: How, he is not alone. Listen to legendary college football Coach Lou Holtz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOU HOLTZ, FORMER COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACH: Do want to play? Let's go play. I think that we shut everything down for six months. I'm going crazy about being in quarantine. I think other people are tired of it. Let's move on with our lives. When they stormed Normandy, they knew that there were going to be casualties, there's going to be risks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: The invasion of Normandy resulted in a quarter million dead just on the allied side. And football, of course, is hugely important to Americans. it is an escape in a terrible time but this isn't war. It's sports.
Still, many college football players want to take the risk. They have taken to social media declaring, we want to play. Ohio State Q.B. and Heisman Trophy Contender Justin Fields tweeted the abbreviation for shaking my head after learning his fall season had gone up in smoke.
I also interviewed a star player from Florida State who said he wanted to play despite falling ill with coronavirus along with many members of his family, including his father who has since recovered after spending time on a ventilator.
[13:15:06]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREW BOSELLI, FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL PLAYER: There is always going to be risk.
They have put in place very strong standards to help daily screenings, masks everywhere, consistent coronavirus testing. So then I really feel and we as a team feel safe in Tallahassee in putting all this work.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KEILAR: But not all college football programs are being as careful as they should. Louisiana State had to quarantine dozens of football players once practices resumed in June. Clemson had dozens test positive for the virus.
And remember that the data on coronavirus in young people is actually quite lacking. We have just learned that when it comes to children who were thought to be less affected by the virus, almost 100,000 tested positive in the last two weeks of July, which is an uptick of 40 percent.
And we also know that doctors have started to report lasting heart and lung problems in healthy college athletes who have been stricken with coronavirus. Even athletes with mild or no COVID symptoms are ending up with an inflammation of the heart muscle called myocarditis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JONATHAN DREZNER, SPORTS MEDICINE SPECIALIST: Myocarditis can lead to scar tissue within the heart muscle. That scar tissue can be a focus for an arrhythmia or even sudden cardiac arrest.
Now, 9 percent of sudden cardiac deaths in college athletes is from myocarditis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: In pro sports, some leagues have succeeded at keeping COVID at bay with isolation and testing. The NBA, WNBA, soccer, while football and baseball have had more problems. Scenes like this, a brawl during the Houston Astros and Oakland A's game Sunday, certainly do not help.
But when the president says sports should continue, he doesn't prioritize sports that are keeping COVID at bay. For the NBA, where players have supported Black Lives Matter and spoken out on social injustice and racial injustice and against the president, he called them dumb.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think it's been horrible for basketball. Look at the basketball ratings. They're down -- down to very low numbers, very, very low numbers. People are angry about it. And there was a nastiness about the NBA, the way it was done too. So I think that -- they -- the NBA is in trouble.
I haven't noticed them sending back things at me but I will say that I wouldn't be that surprised. Some are very nasty, very, very nasty and, frankly, very dumb.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Trump made it clear he wants sports back if athletes shut up and play.
He was asked who was a better basketball player, Michael Jordan or LeBron James, who has been critical of him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who is better as a basketball player? Michael Jordan or LeBron James? Which do you think --
TRUMP: Michael Jordan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No doubt in your mind?
TRUMP: Well, I've seen them both. Michael Jordan is -- plus, he wasn't political, so people like him better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: And he's not interested in the NFL being back if players, many whom are black, acknowledge the national reckoning on racial injustice that is going on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Well, they want to open and they want to open badly and they've been working with government. I would say this. If they don't stand for the national anthem, I hope they don't open. But other than that, I'd love to see them open, and we're doing everything possible for getting them open. I think in protesting, otherwise, they shouldn't protest our flag or our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: The president, notably, is focused on the reopening of college football, where fans trend conservative in the sports' biggest conferences and his allies dismiss the health risk as they see a business opportunity. Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis saying this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): I asked President Thrasher and the coach about, hey, if some of these other conferences shut down, can we welcome their players in the State of Florida? Not exactly sure how the NCAA rules work on that, but I can tell you, if there's a way, we want you guys to be able to play.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Yes, despite the fact that Florida is one of the hardest hit states with positivity rates soaring and testing on a downward slide.
The president is right to be concerned how the cancelation of sports affects Americans, especially as they look for some relief from health and economic troubles in the middle of this historic pandemic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If there's no college football, there's going to be a lot of upset people and, ultimately, that's not great for the president, and his popularity and his job in terms of keeping this country safe and dealing with the pandemic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: But the president downplaying the virus and politicizing sports and masks is only making it tougher to reopen, Washington Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle putting it this way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN DOOLITTLE, WASHINGTON NATIONAL PITCHER: If there aren't sports, it's going to be because people are not wearing masks, the response has been so politicized.
Sports are like the reward of a functional society.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: In the middle of a pandemic, in the middle of a recession, shutting down sports is a sign the government is failing.
[13:20:00]
It's the last thing an incumbent president wants less than three months to Election Day.
And I want to talk now with the president of the Sports and Leisure Research Group, Jon Last. And, Jon, you've been doing some very interesting polling in a number of industries, including sports and sports fans. So maybe you can put this into context for us. You actually asked football fans if they would be more upset by the cancellation of the season or the loss of their presidential pick.
And I think that this really puts maybe where Americans' priorities are into perspective. Half said that they would be more upset about football. Tell us what you found?
JON LAST, PRESIDENT, SPORTS AND LEISURE RESEARCH GROUP: Yes, it's amazing. It's very much reflective of a lot of the economist's perspective we see across a number of issues related with sports and other leisure activities. But do our back-to-normal barometer every other week and we asked just the previous week which would be more upsetting.
And of those under the age of 45, half college football fans and 49 percent NFL fans would be more upset by cancellation of their upcoming seasons than if their candidate lost the election. People are passionate about sports and there is really a desire to try to get back to normal.
KEILAR: I think everybody misses sports, right? It's what you hear all of your friends talk about. I'm sure all of mine do.
And you've been conducting, as you said, these kinds of surveys every couple of weeks. What -- you're on wave, what is it now?
LAST: This is -- we just finished our ninth wave of research. So we've been doing this non-stop since March.
KEILAR: Okay, so like nine two-week periods here that you've been looking at. And I know that, over time, you saw people very worried at first, then they started to be a little bit more optimistic about reopening. Then you saw that they started to get a little more pessimistic. Where are we now?
LAST: We're still at a pretty low point, unfortunately. We saw a little bit of an uptick attitudes last week. But right now, our overall confidence barometer is in the exact same place that was at the end of March, which shows that people are pretty concerned about a lot of the things going on in the country and certainly very concerned about really no end in sight in their minds as to when we do get back to some semblance of normalcy.
KEILAR: Jon, thank you so much for bringing this to us. We really appreciate it. We know you're looking at a number of industries and there're new trends popping up. So we'll be checking back in with you again soon.
LAST: Thanks so much for having me.
KEILAR: 400 teachers refusing to return to the classroom in New Jersey. Hear how the district is responding.
Plus, a teacher in South Dakota protests with her own tombstone. I'll be speaking with her.
And in her victory speech, a QAnon candidate says she's going to, quote, kick that B word, she did not didn't say B word, she said the actual word, Pelosi, out of Congress. I'm going to speak with a reporter that she kicked out of the room.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:25:00]
KEILAR: Schools across the nation are grappling with difficult decisions on how to handle the fall term during a pandemic. In New Jersey, more than 400 teachers are refusing to return to their classrooms for in-person instruction and forcing their school system to go virtual for the start of the fall term.
Here is what Superintendent Olga Hugelmeyer of Elizabeth New Jersey Public Schools had to say in her letter to parents. Quote, 402 teachers have notified the district that they require special considerations for health-related risks and cannot teach in person. As a result, there would be insufficient staff to safely open. With five weeks until school begins, it is unfruitful to continue to pursue something that cannot occur. The town of Elizabeth, New Jersey, is located just South of Newark.
Scientific evidence, of course, proves that masks save lives, but one teacher in South Dakota is trying to make her school board accept the data as she pushes for making masks mandatory ahead of the new school year. Special Education Teacher Lizzie Hansen put her message on a poster depicting her own tombstone for a demonstration last month urging the school board to rethink its policy and she is joining now to talk.
Lizzie, thank you so much for being with us. You are a first year teacher. You're just a couple weeks away here from start of the school year. I know that this biker rally going on in South Dakota near you especially has you worried for start of the school year. There's a quarter million people expected to take part in the Sturgis biker rally this year. What are your concerns with that?
LIZZIE HANSEN, SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER: So, like you said, there's a quarter of a million people coming. If we look at the data on COVID right now, about 1 percent of Americans have been infected with it. So 1 percent of a quarter million, that's still 2,500 people in the state that are bringing this virus here and interacting with people throughout the day, potentially spreading it to -- I think it's up to 50 people a day they can spread it to, which -- and then those people will go to home to wherever they are across the country. They'll most likely come to where I'm located and potentially spread it there, and I'm terrified what's to come in the next couple of weeks after this Sturgis biker rally.
KEILAR: What is -- tell us what your school doing to protect students and staff, and certainly in your view, what they are not doing to protect students and staff when it comes to masks, but also other precautions?
[13:30:00]
HANSEN: So when it comes to masks in my school -- I'm actually in two schools. And in both schools, they're both expected but not required.
