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Colleges Try To Enforce Rules To Curb Cases On Campus; CNN Poll: 60 Percent Of Women In Battleground States Back Biden. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired August 25, 2020 - 12:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Iowa State announcing today it has 130 cases of coronavirus on campus after just the first week of classes. College in the age of coronavirus is proving to be a giant challenge. Let's take a look. First, just our national state trends, I said at the top of the program, 10 states trending up right now, 17 steady, 23 states reporting their coronavirus cases lower this week than a week ago. So this is the national perspective.

Now let's overlay what we're learning as college campuses reopen, 23 states have colleges open with COVID cases already. And you notice what's significant here. A lot of these states where this is happening were states that were trending down like Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, we're holding steady, Kentucky, Tennessee. So you're getting these new cases in places that we're improving things. The question is, can they continue it now?

[12:35:07]

Let's take a closer look now. And for that we'll bring in Dr. David Rubin. He's director of the PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Rubin, thank you so much for being with us. I want to take a more granular look at this with some of the data you have looked closely at -- in your PolicyLab. This is Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, the University of Alabama, St. Joseph County, Indiana, Notre Dame both have had cases reported as they open campuses. If you look through the summer, though, what does the data tell you? Were these communities already in a bit of trouble and it's getting worse, or did the students bring this in?

DR. DAVID RUBIN, DIRECTOR, POLICYLAB AT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: Well, I think it's a combination of both. I think if you look across many college towns in the country, you'll find that their case right -- their case incidence was already increasing through the summer. We think of the undergraduates arriving all at once but there's a trickle in of students and graduate students throughout the summer. And, you know, these areas even within their states, some of which have had high resurgence, have looked a little bit more concerning than other counties within the states.

KING: And so if you look, we're looking at a mix of schools here. Some of them are urban, some of them are rural, some of them are a little mix of that. If you look at some of these rural counties where we have Penn State and West Virginia University, again, you see if you look at it, you see a big spike in the summer that it comes down a little bit, and that is trickling out. The same here, spiked but this one here in West Virginia is a little more of a bounce. Is there a difference in the rural communities?

RUBIN: Well, look Centre County, which is Happy Valley in Pennsylvania and Morgantown have done a terrific job managing this through the summer. But when we talk about colleges, there's a difference, for example, in Pennsylvania, if you're the University of Pittsburgh and you open, you have some cases, you have a lot of healthcare resources. Happy Valley doesn't have those resources. And they're about to land thousands of students back into Happy Valley with uncertain transmission as they arrived.

I know there are a lot of state folks around the country who are worried about these rural college towns, because they don't have the capacity if there's a huge outbreak that occurs there.

KING: And so you have all these colleges and universities and the officials having to decide what to do. Some have pushed the students out of class and said we're going to go back online. There's a -- I want to move here to bring up. This is Franklin County, Ohio, the Ohio State University is there. Again, you see the jumping cases. This is the estimate if things stay about the same of the plateau going up. This is one of the places Ohio State where you've seen, talk of tougher enforcement to try to get students to behave.

RUBIN: Yes, look, you know, I think Ohio State did something really important yesterday. The question is, if we're going to reopen these colleges, which I think are important, we have to start thinking about what are the ways in which we can control transmission. One of the ways to do that is to send a very clear message to the students that reckless behavior that would endanger these communities is not going to be tolerated and those students who would choose to do that are going to be sent home and asked to participate virtually for the semester.

KING: And help me understand what you look at most closely here. One of the things in the last seven months, we've gone through the case count, the lagging indicator of deaths, where hospitalizations, and then you look at the positivity rate. In the context of college campuses, if you look at the University of North Carolina, it's in Orange County, North Carolina, UNC at Chapel Hill, they've had a doubling essentially even more so in the positivity rate since students came back. What does that tell you?

RUBIN: Well, I can tell you that the proportion of people were now testing positive has gone up. There's been a fairly significant outbreak as the students arrived at UNC. Their rates were already elevated like some of those other college towns. And now, it's been exacerbated by the outbreaks that are occurring at UNC. And this reminds us in many ways, you know, the colleges are not dissimilar to where we were with long term care facilities back in the spring. We can be fairly confident now that outbreaks are going to originate from colleges. And if we understand that, many colleges are going to choose to test more frequently if they have access to testing and thinking about that, if they can test more frequently, they may be able to break transmission cycles, and along with better enforcement, they may be able to keep some of this transmission under check.

KING: After David Rubin director of PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, appreciate it so much. And let's continue the conversation about UNC-Chapel Hill. Earlier this month, the university stopped its in-person instruction, after nearly 130 students tested positive during the first week of school. Now the 465 cases have been reported in the week since.

Here with us now is Tamiya Troy. She's a senior class vice president at UNC-Chapel Hill. She's also the president of the university's Black Student Movement. Thank you so much for your time today. Fascinating for your perspective here in the sense that you think the school let you down here, why?

TAMIYA TROY, PRESIDENT OF BLACK STUDENT MOVEMENT, UNC-CHAPEL HILL: Yes, I'm definitely very frustrated that students are in this position just after one week of class, where we're now faced with so much uncertainty in addition to being in a pandemic, right? Students are wondering how to get home, where to move off campus, and how to even pay for it.

So just the fact that the administration allowed us to be put in such a uncertain position and also one that is challenging in several different ways is very frustrating to see students experience in this. And this led to my organization, the Black Student Movement creating a mutual aid fund where we've been raising money to help students with those needs. And so far we've received and fulfilled thousands of dollars in requests from students trying to cover moving costs, transportation, or even struggling to pay for an off campus apartment.

[12:40:13]

We shouldn't be in this position. But since we are, we're excited and able -- that we're able to help students throughout this time. But again, we shouldn't be in this position. And I wish that it could have went a different way because this is definitely preventable.

KING: A friend of yours wrote a piece for "The Washington Post" on Monday. And the headline is this, my university botched the pandemic, what does that say about how it sees its students and its community? What are the levels of communication, the positivity rate has doubled? Are you getting active information, constant information from the university about testing options for you, extra precautions whether certain areas are worse than others?

TROY: So the communication is not where it should be, right? Originally, we weren't receiving reports of daily cases. We were only seeing the word cluster. And even that is just filled with so much uncertainty because we were unsure of how many cases exactly that means. And since that point, we've received a dashboard update, just stating how many cases there are and what areas on campus and so on. But students are still unsure about where exactly can they go get tested, if there's testing availability at our near campus health on campus and things like that. So the communication is definitely not as clear and concise as it should be during a time where students are already frantic, trying to figure out what to do next.

KING: You're an activist obviously involved in the Black Student Movement, involved in campus politics as well with the -- in the elected office via classmates. What is your sense from talking to your friends, colleagues, classmates, you're staying near campus, they've obviously put schools online now are people -- some people going back home, everyone is staying tight waiting this out?

TROY: So a lot of people have already started transitioning back home. That's where the frustration comes in, because students are feeling as if they should have just stayed home in the first place, right, or even just moved off campus when we were told that campus would be reopening. So it's a lot going on right now. Students are extremely overwhelmed. We were expected to just continue on with classes and turn in assignments in. Even that was very frustrating, as a student leaders like myself, are requesting that the university take a pause and give us a time to really adjust to all of this and to figure out where we're going to go next.

And we received the pause. We start back our remote classes on tomorrow. Some students are still in limbo, not knowing where they're going to live, how they're going to afford these things, and even having access to internet. So there's a lot that goes into this. And I just hope that the university sees the effect that this has on students and intends to listen to students in the very beginning, right, because a lot of students we're asking for the university to really listen to us, to include our voices and prioritize our voices of the decision making processes that led to this decision in the first place.

So we're hoping that the university will take this into consideration as it moves forward, and really prioritizes student voices because ultimately we are the primary stakeholders at this university and we should be listened to throughout everything.

KING: Tamiya Troy, grateful for your insights today and your observations, keep in touch as this one plays out, best of luck and hope you and your classmates can stay safe throughout all this. Thank you.

TROY: Thank you.

KING: No. Thank you so much.

Coming up for us, how Republicans are using the convention states to try to fix the President's dwindling support among women.

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[12:47:53] KING: The Trump campaign is well aware of the math and is using its convention stage to ask women voters to give the President another look.

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RONNA MCDANIEL, RNC CHAIRWOMAN: Biden, Harris, and the rest of the socialists will fundamentally change this nation.

NIKKI HALEY, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UNITED NATIONS: He's a godsend to everyone who wants America to apologize, abstain, and abandon our values.

DONALD TRUMP JR., SON OF PRESIDENT TRUMP: Biden's radical left wing policies would stop our economic recovery cold.

SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): In 1994, Biden led the charge on a crime bill that put millions of black Americans behind bars.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Four years ago national exit poll showed the President winning 41 percent of votes cast by women. But look now his standing is even worse at the moment. The latest CNN poll shows the Biden-Harris ticket with a 23 point national lead among women. In battlegrounds, the advantage is virtually the same, 24 points.

Joining me now two experienced Republican campaign hands who also happen to be on our CNN team Alice Stewart and Amanda Carpenter. Amanda, let me start with you. Look, this is a historical problem for the Republican Party that has become worse under President Trump. Nancy Pelosi is speaker because suburban women -- suburban voters but led by suburban women revolted against this President. Can the President in this convention make it better? We don't expect him certainly to carry the vote. But in a campaign about margins, can he improve his standing enough? And if so, what does he have to do?

AMANDA CARPENTER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, they can't do what they've been doing so far. The Democrats are making huge gains with women because they actually speak to them about issues they care about. What we saw last night, was a lot of yelling about the Democrats. But I am waiting for some Republicans to speak to suburban women about where they are.

I am waiting for some Republican to say thank you for keeping your kids home since March. That was a great sacrifice. We know it's hard to keep an income going and try to go to the store like normal. There is no recognition of that. I mean, Kimberly Guilfoyle got a lot of mockery, which I think is deserved. But look at her position in a campaign. She is part of the Coalition of Women for Trump. She is supposed to be articulating a message to women. And she looks like the woman ripping down mass at target.

[12:50:10]

You know, I don't think they understand what women are going through, through this pandemic because they're just out of touch with it. Every time I look at her in the news, she's at a boat party, doing fundraising. I think they really need to talk to women where they are instead of trying to scare them about the Democrats.

KING: Well, you mentioned the word scared. Alice, first, I just want to show the historical trend here. This is a graphic from Pew. If you go back to 1994, Democrats were getting the support for women voters who either identified or said they leaned, independents who say they leaned Democratic in elections, it was 48 percent back in 1994. It is 56 percent now and women are majority of the electorate. So if you're getting 56 percent of their votes and their majority, the electorate, it's pretty simple math. It's not rocket science.

Amanda mentioned scared. One of the things I used to do throughout the 90s as we were watching the suburbs change is constantly go back to the St. Louis suburbs. That's where the McCloskey's live. They came out of their house with their guns to confront Black Lives Matters protesters who are marching through their neighborhood. They had a big piece last night of what the convention hopes is an appeal to suburbanites.

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MARK MCCLOSKEY, ST. LOUIS HOMEOWNER WHO POINTED GUN AT PROTESTERS: Just weeks ago, you may have seen us defending our home as a mob of protesters descended on our neighborhood.

PATRICIA MCCLOSKEY, ST. LOUIS HOMEOWNER WHO POINTED GUN AT PROTESTERS: What you saw happen to us could just as easily happen to any of you who are watching from quiet neighborhoods around our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Is that a way to get the suburbs back, particularly suburban women back?

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: John, you look at that and you see fear. I look at that, and I see safety and a President and policies that will ensure the safety and security of American families. And it's important to note in that Pew poll, that the gender gap started trending more women towards Democrats back in 2014. So this is not something new to this administration. But it is something that we need to keep an eye on.

And look, I've talked to women across this country. I was involved with some of the women that would traveled across the country with the Women for Trump. And what they heard from women across this country is that women, moms, single moms, they want safety and security, and they want schools for their children. And that is a key issue. And this is not as much about the style and the personality of the President, but about the substance.

And women who support Trump and across the country, the growing number are supporting this President because they know he will keep them safe, keep them secure, and he will fight for them. Look, we saw in the Democratic Convention, Joe Biden, no doubt a man of compassion and empathy. But it's not about voters and specifically women wanting someone that makes them feel good. They want someone that makes them feel safe. And that is why we're seeing a lot more women looking to this President as he focuses on law and order in this campaign.

KING: I think that's a key, a very important point. Look, the Republicans understand they have the same focus groups the Democrats have. And a lot of what happen in 2018, in the suburbs, was people don't like the tweets, they don't like the coarseness of his language. They don't like what he says women are nasty, for example. But they do believe they can get at least some of them back by focusing on policy, which is you'll have some of that at the convention.

But the President does have a very important character witness tonight speaking to the American people. My question to the two of you is how effective? Is he first, let's listen -- this is Melania Trump with a little bit of a preview yesterday at the White House.

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MELANIA TRUMP, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: We as women must continue using our great tool of empowerment, our voices. Now, in 2020, the American women's voice is more important than ever. Vote so that we may continue to build the brightest future for all of our children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: She is not an always active campaigner. She has kept a relatively low profile for a first lady. Amanda, can she help the President?

CARPENTER: There is no way that a 20-minute speech from Melania Trump is going to make people forget about the dystopian reality that they're living through where they can't leave their house without a mask, can't send their kids to school, and can't go about life as normal. That's just the reality of it. And I just got to say, this whole great scare of the suburbs 2020 campaign that they're waging, it really makes me sad. It breaks my heart to think that the President of the United States thinks that women like me that live in the suburbs are going to be scared of having black neighbors.

I send my kids to school. I want them to have friends and never experienced that kind of hate. And that's the strategy. I just don't know how we can sit there and say like, oh, will this work? It is heartbreaking. It is offensive. And it really just makes me sick to my stomach.

KING: Amanda and Alice, we'll continue the conversation, I promised 10 weeks to Election Day from today. Thank you both ladies. Tonight's live coverage of the Republican National Convention starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN, besides the First Lady, Senator Rand Paul speaks tonight, also the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo set to appear. All starts again, 7:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

[12:54:59]

When we come back, Hurricane Laura gaining strength as it heads toward the Gulf Coast.

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KING: A hurricane warning is now in effect for Louisiana and Texas as the Gulf Coast braces for a direct hit from Hurricane Laura. And a mandatory evacuation is being ordered for Calcasieu Parish, that's in Louisiana. The National Hurricane Center says Laura now expected to become a category three storm or stronger by the time it makes landfall later in the week, mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders now so -- also in place in parts of Texas.

[13:00:01]

Stay with us for continuing coverage of that and thanks for joining us today. See you back here this time tomorrow. Anderson Cooper picks up our coverage right now. Have a good day.