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Interview with Broward County Teachers Union President Anna Fusco; Oregon Rain Changes Wildfire Calculus; Terry Branstad Steps Down as U.S. Ambassador to China. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired September 18, 2020 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: So they're clearly wanting to capture this and contain it as soon as possible, but telling college students to stay home is, you know, wishful thinking in many cases, as we've seen.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, so New York is delaying in-person public school openings for another week, this though New York has gotten its positivity rate down below one percent, it's one of those green zones. What led to that and what happens next there?

GOLODRYGA: Well I can tell you, Jim and Poppy, no surprise, a lot of parents are really frustrated by -- this is the second delay now to the start of school, and so many parents want to get back to work.

And what the mayor is saying is that there are a lot of teachers -- mainly the teachers' unions and the principals' unions -- that aren't satisfied with the safety orders and mandates that have been put in place thus far.

The mayor previously said that he was going to hire 2,000 more teachers. Now, he's going to add an additional 2,500 teachers. They have a situation type of war room that they have instilled (ph), that they're going to be focusing on and monitoring every school and every outbreak if there are any. There's going to be extra PPE, every building's going to have ventilation. I mean, this is what is being promised and forecast here as what the mayor's called the gold standard.

As you mentioned, the infection rate in the city is low, it's below one percent. But we are going to expect to see cases. And so what's going to happen now is there's going to be a phased in approach as opposed to everybody starting this Monday.

This Monday instead, now, we are going to have pre-K and special needs students return to school. And September 29th, next week, you'll have elementary schools start. And then October 1st, you're going to have middle schools and high schools come back.

But when the mayor was asked today, point-blank, can you guarantee this is the last time you're going to delay opening? He couldn't go that far. So we'll see, fingers crossed that children can return to schools here in New York safely.

SCIUTTO: Yes, if you've watched a kid try to do it remotely, you get why it's difficult. Bianna Golodryga, thanks very much --

GOLODRYGA: It's hard.

SCIUTTO: -- yes.

Well, a new study shows that as many as 51 percent of all school employees face an increased risk of COVID-19 infection. That is mainly because many of them have underlying conditions that put them at additional risk if they were to be infected -- those include things like obesity, diabetes, heart disease.

This study comes as one of the biggest school districts in the country is facing pressure to reopen, prompting concern among teachers. I'm joined now by Anna Fusco. She's the president of the Broward Teachers Union in South Florida.

Anna, good to have you on this morning.

ANNA FUSCO, PRESIDENT, BROWARD TEACHERS UNION: Thank you, Jim, good morning.

SCIUTTO: Tell us your concerns. Because in Broward County, the positivity rate, it's between two and four percent. So not as low as a place like New York, but below this five percent test positivity rate that folks like Dr. Fauci have pointed to as allowing for school reopening under mitigation conditions.

So what's your sense of the state of the outbreak there, and what do you need to see to feel comfortable going back to school?

FUSCO: Well first of all, I appreciate what Dr. Fauci and the CDC and the health experts have come up with, the goals of where every state and county and so forth need to be.

But how we take it here in Broward County, unfortunately, our state governor has aligned with our president of the United States and they have -- basically have the control over the CDC. So we're not, you know, in true (ph) faith (ph) that the numbers are accurate. So we (INAUDIBLE) the numbers are accurate.

We're not sure how many are still getting tested and, you know, what the testing, the fidelity, it's -- that's the largest concern when we heard our governor come out strong, saying, you know, he wanted to have control over the CDC. That's one of our --

(CROSSTALK)

FUSCO: -- big --

SCIUTTO: That's a real concern, to not be able to trust the numbers because the politics have -- we've (ph) seen in some of the public comments, right? -- has injected itself into this. So what's being done? I imagine you must be reaching out to the CDC in

Washington or something, saying, give us some help so we know, so we have an accurate picture of what's happening here.

FUSCO: Yes, we've reached out and our Broward County superintendent, Robert Runcie, who's, you know, working faithfully to try to make sure that we get back into schools when it's completely safe.

But the other pressures are getting our students back physically in school face-to-face, is where they're threatening to hold back the funding to take care of running the operations of our Broward County public schools, which is a large concern.

And I know people (INAUDIBLE) working remote, it's not working but I could tell you right now, Broward County, it's working. Our teachers have worked all last quarter through spring break, through their summer to make sure that we can up and running and accessible to our students at any given time.

They are incredible group of educators and all the support staff, the admins of our building literally are working outside of all types of hours to make this work for our students to get them the education, the content that they need --

(CROSSTALK)

[10:35:05]

SCIUTTO: OK. OK, so the data question, it's a real one. And it's so hard in this environment because there has been political interference, we've seen it with a whole host of decisions.

If you were to get accurate data that you have confidence in, what steps would you want to see which would make you feel safe? I mean, does it come down to simple things like mask-wearing and plastic barriers for instance? We've seen a lot of schools be putting those in, either for the teacher or in front of each desk.

I mean, are there measures that if you saw those measures, you would say, OK, it's good, we're good to go back to in-person learning?

FUSCO: Well, I think those are basic measures. I think some of the more needed drastic measures would be the funding. You know, there are billions of dollars or millions of dollars that are allocated to help out through this crisis, that would get -- might put (ph) into (ph) being able to hire more staff or taking care of sanitizing, cleanliness, making sure there is plentiful PPE, making sure there's plentiful of the hygiene products, whether it's hand sanitizer and so.

You know, making sure that the air quality and everyone -- we have (INAUDIBLE) schools, you know, we have some schools that have been around over 40 years. So things like that that need to be put in place, of air quality and sanitizing and cleanliness, and just enough staff to be out there and about, of taking care that intermittent cleaning. It should be put all on the teachers to take care of that. It all

boils down to (INAUDIBLE), and if it wasn't you know, for (ph) politics, we would have the funding.

SCIUTTO: Yes, you must feel a little bit like you're being held hostage there, right? Having the funding held over your head.

Well, Anna Fusco, we wish you the best of luck. We hope you're able to get back in school with students soon.

FUSCO: All right, thank you very much.

[10:36:50]

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Well, possible rainfall could bring some relief, some much-needed relief, but also risk for those battling the wildfires in Oregon. While the rain could help extinguish the flames, it could also bring flooding and mudslides. We'll bring you a live report from there, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:41:43]

SCIUTTO: Will the rain save the day out west? A storm front bringing heavy rain could help firefighters gain ground against some of those ranging wildfires, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. In Oregon, nearly 2,000 homes -- imagine if that was one of yours -- have now been destroyed.

HARLOW: Let's go to our colleague Miguel Marquez. He is on the ground right near Lyons, Oregon. Good morning, Miguel. The rain was supposed to have come in last night. Did they? And also are they complicating things for the firefighters on the ground as well?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and yes. They got lots of rain. They have about 30 fires burning across the state, most of them on the western side of the Cascade Mountains. That rain, massive amounts of rain, came up along that western side of the Cascade Mountains. So that will help an enormous amount.

It also brought lightning, though, so that other areas that maybe didn't get as much rain, they might have new fire starts, which they're watching out for. These fires burn hot, and they burn incredibly fast. I want to show you where we are right now.

You wouldn't know what this is except that you can see that big piece of equipment there, that is a mixer. So this is the kitchen of a restaurant that used to be here.

And if you look up into the trees here, look at the canopy. You can see that these trees, they did what they call "crowning," it just completely crowned into the trees, completely wiped out these trees. But then right next to them, those trees pretty much survived and they actually just might survive entirely. The house below those trees did not. I spoke to the homeowner here a

short time ago, they had about 20 minutes' notice to get out. About 2:00 a.m. they got the first notice that the fire was coming, it was seven miles away. Five minutes later, he got a second notice saying the fire was a mile away.

They had about 80 animals here, they lost 40 of them in the fires. They loaded up everything they could to try to get out. Now they're trying to figure out how to sort of get back to life. Many people across this area are trying to figure out the same thing.

Fire services now, looking at all the damage, the rains that have come through, and the weather. Going forward, the weather looks quite good actually. They're going to get onshore breezes, that should push the fire back onto areas that have already burned like this, keeping the fires from going any worse. Back to you guys.

SCIUTTO: It's heartbreaking to see, right? It takes so long to rebuild from that. We're glad they're alive but boy, they've lost so much. Miguel Marquez, thanks for being there.

[10:44:10]

Still ahead, a CNN exclusive. This hour, the outgoing U.S. ambassador to China sat down with our colleague David Culver to talk about the pandemic and why he is leaving his post at such a crucial time in U.S.-China relations.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Welcome back. New this morning, the U.S. says it will restrict access to the social media and messaging apps TikTok and WeChat starting Sunday. That means you won't be able to download them. It is all part of the president's executive order against those apps, citing national security concerns.

The Commerce Department says any move to distribute or maintain them through an app store will be prohibited. The department also said it will be illegal to host or transfer internet traffic associated with WeChat starting Sunday. It's a big deal. I mean, there are tens of millions of users of these things around the world.

HARLOW: For sure.

Well also this morning, new questions surrounding the departure of the U.S. ambassador to China, Ambassador Terry Branstad announced earlier this week he was stepping down. Let's go to our David Culver who sat down with him for an exclusive television interview.

I mean, the men have known each other since the '80s in terms of, you know, Xi Jinping.

DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And that's part of the reason, Poppy, that Branstad got this position to begin with, and more than three years now that he's served in this role. As you point out, for 30-plus years, he had a personal relationship with President Xi Jinping.

The question is, you know, has that really helped in where things are diplomatically today? And it seems that if you look at the wider picture, the context of the South China Sea, tensions there; Xinjiang, the widespread allegations of human rights abuse; Hong Kong, the national security law; even the border with India and China, you've got so many problems right now.

And I asked him. I said, has this been a diplomatic failure? And he said, to his point, no, it's an accomplishment in phase one of the trade deal, and he also highlighted being able to get his diplomats back into China after this outbreak.

All of that said though, what -- I was curious why he was transitioning out at this time, a crucial time and a need now more than ever for experienced diplomacy. He said it was personal, his wife and he made the decision and that he's going back to his home state of Iowa, where he was governor for many years.

However, it also seems it's political. He did not close out the possibility of campaigning for President Trump. And even in our conversation today, he seemed to echo Trump's blaming of China for this outbreak.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRY BRANSTAD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO CHINA: The Chinese system was such that they covered it up and they even penalized the doctors that were pointing it out at the very beginning. So the result was, what could have been contained in Wuhan ended up becoming worldwide pandemic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CULVER: Poppy and Jim, one of the things that I was curious about -- and I asked the ambassador about this -- is President Trump's handling of President Xi. Because we have seen, going back to earlier this year, as this outbreak was playing out, President Trump was calling President Xi his friend, a gentleman, a good leader. And now, he's transitioned to not criticizing Xi directly by name, but slamming China as seemingly part of this campaign.

And the ambassador said that he thinks that the president went into this trying to have a good friendship, a good relationship, and he portrays it as though President Trump and the rest of the world was misled by China. That's how they're framing this.

HARLOW: David, thank you. I know people can see the whole interview online as well.

CULVER: That's right.

HARLOW: Well, the biggest night goes virtual: It's the Emmys, and it's virtual because of the pandemic. We have a live preview, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:57:08]

SCIUTTO: Welcome back. This year's Emmy Awards show will be unlike any other. Stars will accept their awards live, but from home. And Jimmy Kimmel will host a socially distanced ceremony from the Staples Center.

HARLOW: Still, shows like "Watchmen," "Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," "Succession" and "The Morning Show" are all vying for some of the night's top prizes. Our Stephanie Elam joins us now with a preview.

Steph, will there still be dresses? Are people going to like glam up at home?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think some people will, Poppy and Jim. And you know, you think about how everyone's been staying home, watching a lot of TV? This might be the Emmys that people are most prepared for with their list of favorites and who should win.

But if you need a little cheat sheet, take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM: You are the lady of the Emmys, everyone's talking about you.

ELAM (voice-over): Gone is the red carpet and the audience of stars.

JENNIFER ANISTON, ACTRESS: Things are going to be quite different.

ELAM (voice-over): This year's Emmys are virtual, with stars accepting awards from home.

RACHEL BROSNAHAN, NOMINEE, "THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL": Yes. I mean, I get to bring my dogs to the Emmys. How often is that going to happen?

ELAM (voice-over): Jimmy Kimmel will host from Staples Center, a larger venue than normal.

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, 2020 EMMYS: This is what makes me feel comfortable.

ELAM (voice-over): Social distancing is planned for the crew, and star presenters like Morgan Freeman and Oprah Winfrey.

MARC MALKIN, SENIOR EDITOR, VARIETY: I do think this is going to be a moment where people are going to address Black Lives Matter movement, climate change, politics. We have an election just weeks away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From 114 locations across 10 countries --

ELAM (voice-over): To boost the fun factor, live cameras were sent to stars' homes.

SCOTT FEINBERG, AWARDS COLUMNIST, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: We're hearing that the TV Academy is trying to feel out with the major nominees, would they be comfortable having somebody essentially in a HAZMAT suit deliver an Emmy statuette to their door during the show, should they win?

ELAM: As for Emmys fashion, "Variety" reports that Kimmel and producers told stars to, quote, "come as you are, but make an effort."

MALKIN: For some people, that means they're going to wear, you know, tuxedo pajamas. Other people -- I spoke to Tracee Ellis Ross and she said she doesn't care what's going on, she's dressing up. She is getting glam --

ELAM (voice-over): HBO's "The Watchmen" is among the frontrunners, which also include POP Network's "Schitt's Creek" --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who's excited, huh?

ELAM (voice-over): -- Netflix, giving the show a pandemic boost.

FEINBERG: People who are looking for things to watch have been binging past seasons.

ELAM (voice-over): The Emmys are on Sunday night on ABC.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM: Now, the producers say that only about a dozen stars are going to be at Staples Center on Sunday, so totally keeping it socially distant.

And as Scott Feinberg from "The Hollywood Reporter" says, there's not going to be all that Hollywood wining and dining. All those parties didn't happen this year, which may mean that the playing field may be a little bit more level because people will vote for what they actually watched and what they liked. So we'll have to see how that goes, while we all sit on our couches while we normally would be on the carpet.

HARLOW: Maybe all the money they spend on those parties every year could be donated to the, you know, fire relief efforts and --

[11:00:01]

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HARLOW: -- folks that lost their homes and need it there. Just an idea. Steph, thank you.

ELAM: First responders, all of them. Yes.

HARLOW: Yes, thank you.

Thanks for joining us, everyone.