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Airline Industry Furloughs Thousands as Second Bailout Stalls; Calls For Notre Dame President to Resign After Maskless WH Visit; Lindsey Graham Goes from Trump Critic to Trump Defender; Storm Brings Heavy Rain, Floods, Tornadoes to Southeast US. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired October 11, 2020 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN NEWSROOM HOST: Hi. Welcome to CNN. I'm Robyn Curnow. So coming up on the show, Donald Trump has officially been cleared for travel. Hear everything we know about the president's health. Spoiler alert, it's not a lot. Coronavirus cases are spiking across the nation. One model says that it's going to get much, much worse before it gets better. And the story of a family on the frontlines risking it all to fight the virus.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with Robyn Curnow.
CURNOW: Great to have you along this hour. So President Donald Trump's doctor has cleared him to travel, to give speeches, and to start campaigning again. This just a little more than a week since he was diagnosed with COVID-19. In a memo, Dr. Sean Conley says Mr. Trump is no longer a transmission risk and meets the CDC criteria to stop isolating, but it leaves many questions about the president's health unanswered. We still don't know if he's tested negative for the virus, and we don't know what kind of tests he's been given to show he's no longer contagious. Jeremy Diamond breaks down the doctors note for us and tells us what's coming next.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The president's physician, Dr. Sean Conley, is now clearing him for a return to public activities. Dr. Conley writing in a new memo released late Saturday night that the president is no longer considered a risk of transmission for their coronavirus to others. Now, let me read you a part of this memo from Dr. Sean Conley where he writes, "This evening I'm happy to report that in addition to the president meeting CDC criteria for the safe discontinuation for isolation, this morning's COVID PCR sample demonstrates by currently recognized standards he is no longer considered a transmission risk to others. Now at day 10 from symptom onset, fever free for well over 24 hours, and all symptoms improved, the assortment of advanced diagnostics tests obtained revealed there is no longer evidence of actively replicating virus."
And Dr. Conley also goes on to say that he will continue to monitor the president's health as he returns to a more active schedule. Now, President Trump, of course, didn't wait for this memo before holding an event on the South Lawn of the White House on Saturday. The president did stay at quite a distance from the several hundred people who attended this event on the South Lawn of the White House, but those folks while they were mostly wearing masks, they were also not observing any social distancing, packed quite closely together just two weeks after that event in the Rose Garden of the White House that is now considered a super spreader event and perhaps the origin point for many of those positive coronavirus tests that we have since seen at the White House. President Trump needed this memo, though, in order to get some more public confidence in his return to an active schedule, and that is exactly what he is going to be doing this coming week. The president hitting three battleground states - Florida, Pennsylvania, and Iowa - this coming week. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: Thanks, Jeremy, for that. So President Trump's White House appearance on Saturday was his first public event since his coronavirus diagnosis, and he told the crowd he feels, quote, "Great." He's been upbeat about the trajectory of the virus in the U.S.. Too upbeat, though, according to health experts. Mr. Trump is saying the virus is already starting to go away, and he's using some racist language to make that point.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Through the power of the American - the American spirit I think more than anything else, science, medicine will eradicate the China virus once and for all. We'll get rid of it all over the world. You see big flare ups in Europe. Big flare ups in Canada. Very big flare up in Canada. You saw that today. A lot of flare ups, but it's going to disappear. It is disappearing, and where vaccines are going to help and the therapeutics are going to help a lot.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
CURNOW: But a model that's often being looked at during this pandemic is certainly painting a different picture. The model is based on current conditions, so let's look at the way those are right now. As you can see here, most states are seeing an increase in cases compared to a week ago. At this hour, Johns Hopkins University has the number of lives lost in the U.S. at slightly more than 214,000. The University of Washington model projects a total of almost 400,000 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. by the beginning of February. The model also says that if social distancing mandates are relaxed, that number could easily surpass half a million, but that same model predicts that if almost everyone in the U.S. wore masks, tens of thousands of lives would be saved.
Dr. Jorge Rodriguez is an internal medicine and viral specialists. He joins me now from Los Angeles. Doctor, lovely to see you again.
DR. JORGE RODRIGUEZ, INTERNAL MEDICINE AND VIRAL SPECIALIST: Quite (ph).
CURNOW: I just want to get your take on these projections. I mean, they're stunning and they're desperately concerning.
[01:05:00]
RODRIGUEZ: They are, but they're also right on the money. The University of Washington's projections said that we would have approximately 214,000 cases by a few days ago, and we are there. I have no reason to doubt these projections. What I think is very important is that at the lowest if we continue doing as we are, we're going to have 390 or so cases by the end of February, and if we do not act even more responsibly it could go up as high as half a million. And they're projecting that in the world at that time we could have a total of four million deaths, approximately 30,000 a day, which is really startling, and all we have to do to try to decrease that tremendously is to put on masks, to wash our hands, and to respect social distancing.
CURNOW: Yes, it's simple, but those numbers, again, as you say, I mean, it's -
(CROSSTALK)
RODRIGUEZ: Startling.
CURNOW: -- just startling. So I want to get your opinion as a doctor. As our colleague and correspondent was reporting from the White House this letter from the president's physician. What are the key takeaways for you as you try and decode it?
RODRIGUEZ: Well you know, I agree with a lot of my colleagues that are calling this a master class in medical deception because of its ambiguity. There are so many things in it that is sort of like medical speak but don't really get down to the point, which is does the president currently have infectious droplets. They measure viral loads and things like that that disappear after six days. So we don't know whether he's infectious, but something that was interesting to me, the CDC says that if you have been 10 days after your first symptoms and you've been isolated, then it's probably safe for you to go out. Well this changes the timeline of the president having his first symptoms somewhere around the end of September or October 1, which would be that Wednesday, and we know that he did public speeches and such on that Thursday, so it's all so ambiguous. If nothing else the CDC also says that if you have a serious episode of this infection that maybe you should isolate for 20 days. The fact that we don't, you know, know specifics tend to tell us if this is becoming more of a political decision than a medical recommendation.
CURNOW: But also if you could give us a sense, this president - as you saw, the president gave a speech at the White House today. He's planning public rallies over the next few days after being hospitalized a week ago. So based on the president's weight, his age, what we know about the severity of his illness, is he out of the woods now?
RODRIGUEZ: If he -
(CROSSTALK) CURNOW: As a doctor, would you recommend that he stayed in bed?
RODRIGUEZ: Yes, absolutely I would not recommend that he go out and do all of these rallies that he's doing. If nothing else for his own speech. My patients sometimes are four to six weeks out and they're still feeling winded. You know, I think it's interesting that the president who usually gives these Fidel Castro type lengthy speeches only spoke for 18 minutes, and I think that is all that his body can really tolerate right now. The weaker he makes himself by stressing his body, by flying, by taking long hours, the more likely he is to not only relapse but perhaps get very seriously ill.
CURNOW: Thanks so much Internal Medicine and Viral Specialist, Jorge Rodriguez, there. So Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, slammed President Trump on Saturday over Mr. Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and his own illness. He headed to campaign stops in Pennsylvania, and Mr. Biden revealed his latest negative coronavirus test, and he also called on the president to listen to scientists.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
JOE BIDEN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED States: Before I came out again today to go somewhere I had another test this morning, and I'm clear. I think it's important the president makes sure two things. One, that he is clear, he is not a spreader like is - like Dr. Fauci said the super spreader event he had for the Supreme Court announcement. And secondly, I think it's important that he make it clear to all the people that they should be socially distanced. They can be on the lawn. That's fine, but in fact they should be socially distanced and wearing masks. That's the only responsible thing to do.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
CURNOW: Well at his campaign event in Pennsylvania, Biden reached out to independents and disaffected Republicans. Here's Jessica Dena with that. Jessica -
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Former Vice President Joe Biden campaigning in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania on Saturday.
[01:10:00]
He travelled here to Erie, Pennsylvania. It's in a county that President Trump won narrowly back in 2016, and it is tailor made for Biden's economic message that he's been delivering specifically to white working-class voters in towns like Erie. Notably Biden touring a train facility at a union hall before giving remarks that really could be described as his bread and butter economic message.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
BIDEN: The top 100 billionaires in the middle of this pandemic, they made $300 billion additional dollars. Hear me now, 100 individuals made $300 billion this year. And what'd the bottom half get? They got the kid (ph). They got the slide down because the fact is the president can only see the world from Park Avenue. I see it from Scranton. I see it from Claymont for real. You all know what I'm talking about. You all see it from Erie.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
DEAN: In the meantime, Vice President Biden's campaign reported that he underwent PCR testing. That's the gold standard COVID test on Saturday, and that test came back negative. The campaign has said that Joe Biden will continue to be tested regularly and always when he travels. Jessica Dean, CNN, Erie, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: CNN Politics White House Reporter, Stephen Collinson, joins me now from Washington. Stephen, hi. Good to see you. So talk us through these pictures that we're seeing now on the screen. The president speaking from the balcony at the White House to a largely African American audience today. It was a pretty dark message. What was the reason for this?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: The president has been itching to get out on the campaign trail. Originally he was even talking about going out on Saturday. We now know that there are three rallies in Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Florida scheduled for next week, but it's all about getting pictures with the president back in the race. Let's face it. There are three weeks and a couple of days left in this campaign. The president is behind. He needs to get himself on television. He needs to convince people that he's recovered and he's fit to campaign. The fact this was an event focusing on minority supporters, interesting. Of course, the president has been trying to peel away African American male voters from the Democrats who traditionally vote for the Democrats. This could be important in some states like Georgia, which is unexpectedly close. And Biden needs - former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, needs to get big African American turnout in cities like Cleveland, in Ohio, in Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, in some of these swing states to offset the president's popularity in more rural areas. And that was something that Hillary Clinton didn't do.
You could say if you were a cynic that the real reason that he started campaigning again was with a minority event was to do a little bit of clear up over that failure to immediately condemn White Supremacy in the presidential debate.
CURNOW: Let's talk about Vice President Biden. What's his messaging? It certainly seems like he is trying to pick up disaffected voters, former Trump supporters who might have changed their mind or still wavering independence. How successful has he been at that?
COLLINSON: Well if you look at the polls in - nationally and in swing states, he's doing pretty well. You know, since that first debate in which the president behaved in an exceedingly belligerent manner, Biden appears to have stretched his lead in the polls. Now, you know, we don't know whether to trust the polls. Some of the polls were wrong the last time around, especially in battleground states, but you have to say that the vice - the former vice president is ahead in this race. He's trying to lock in his gains. It's interesting that he was in Pennsylvania twice this week. He's really concentrating on consolidating that path to 270 electoral votes. If he were to win Pennsylvania, a state where he currently leads, and he has been doing well among independents and perhaps more moderate, non-populist Republican voters, he would almost be assured of the White House. So that's what the former vice president is doing here. The fact that he now doesn't have to debate against Donald Trump again this week takes another area of risk off the table for him, and I would expect him to carry on this path of these visits to swing states over the next few days.
CURNOW: OK, always good to speak to you. Always good to get your analysis, Stephen Collinson live from D.C. Thanks a lot.
COLLINSON: Thanks.
CURNOW: Some polls are showing elderly voters flipping from Republican to Democrat in large numbers, so in the next hour we'll speak with an expert about why that is happening. It's a pretty fascinating conversation. And still to come, though, on CNN, the follow up from the super spreader event at the White House Rose Garden, why the president of a top university is now facing calls to resign and then this.
[01:15:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
JULIA JIMENEZ, HEALTH CARE WORKER: Sometimes I do go to the break room and I take everything off and I just - I break down. I start crying.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
CURNOW: How frontline workers in the U.S. are handling the pandemic now that a second wave of infections seems right around the corner even though the first wave isn't over.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
It's 19 past the hour. Thanks for joining me. I'm Robyn Curnow. So there's new calls for concern in the U.S. when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. Johns Hopkins University reported the biggest number of daily cases in almost two months time on Friday. Now this is just some of the news that's fueling fears of a second wave. Dr. Megan Ranney, an emergency physician with Brown Emergency Medicine, spoke to CNN about that. Just take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. MEGAN RANNEY, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN, BROWN EMERGENCY MEDICINE: Myself, I'm an E.R. doc, and my colleagues across the country, we are all seeing increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients who are coming into our E.R.s, who are getting really sick, requiring hospitalization and even intensive care. We did see those spikes in numbers about a month ago that were largely younger people going to back to college, but what we're seeing now is it's starting to spread within the community, and we are all deeply afraid that this is the beginning of that dreaded second wave.
[01:20:00]
We still don't have adequate personal protective equipment for physicians and nurses on the front lines across the country. We still don't have adequate testing supplies, and as you and I have just discussed we still don't have a cure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: A lot of people are now placing their hopes in a potential coronavirus vaccine, but many are concerned about how effective and how safe a vaccine developed in record time will actually be. So a former CDC Director spoke with CNN's Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta during a town hall on Saturday, and this is what he told them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. TOM FRIEDEN, FORMER CDC DIRECTOR: We don't yet know whether we are going to have a vaccine that's safe and effective. The studies haven't been completed yet. We're guardedly optimistic because it looks like there's a strong immuno reaction and there are many different vaccines being tried and the trails are progressing. But for a vaccine to actually work, it's got to not only be safe and effective but also be accessible and trusted. And that's why it's so important that it not get politicized, that it not be seen as from any political party or political figure. Vaccines are already an area where there's a lot of suspicion, a lot of rumor. And so, we need to be completely transparent about the information. We need to see vaccines go through the standard procedures. They can go through them very quickly, but they need to go through all of the standard procedures, no cutting corners on safety. Given all that, if there is a vaccine they are manufacturing, if they do work out, if they are safe and effective, yes, we could have hundreds of millions of doses in the first quarter or two of next year, but that doesn't mean they're going to be in people's arms. You have to work with state and local governments, with providers, with communities. You have to address concerns. It's a big job to get vaccines out there. And remember even with vaccine, there's no fairytale ending to this pandemic. We have to chip away at the risk. Even with a vaccine, supposed 75 percent effective, which would be great, and suppose 75 or 70 percent of people take it, that's still only half of people being protected. We're still going to need to adjust our lives, reduce risk by wearing masks, not shaking hands, reducing risky indoor gatherings. We have to chip away at that risk so we can get to a new normal as soon and safely as possible.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: Well for frontline workers and their families, a spike in COVID cases means having to cope with even more pressure. Many say it's compounded by the president's cavalier attitude towards the virus. Miguel Marquez has a story of how one family of frontline workers is coping.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Julia Jimenez, a frontline worker in the fight against the coronavirus.
JIMENEZ: Sometimes I do go to the break room and I take everything off and I just - I break down. I start crying. I do that a lot.
MARQUEZ: Jimenez is part of a family of healthcare workers. Her mother, cousins, aunts all working as nurses or in hospital administration. She's lived mainly in a hotel since March, isolated from her parents and son, worried about their health and economic well-being.
What is the level of stress in your life?
JIMENEZ: I don't know. I don't sleep very well. It's - I'm very, very stressed. It's not an easy time.
MARQUEZ: On a scale of 1 to 10 if 10 is the worst?
JIMENEZ: I'm an 11.
MARQUEZ: Stressed at work, stressed at home, stressed seeing others not taking the pandemic seriously, hoping now that the president has it.
JIMENEZ: But I hope that he'll change his message to people saying that they really do need to take it seriously and not make so many jokes about not wearing masks. Now you see first hand how serious it is.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
TRUMP: It's going to disappear. One day it's like a miracle. It will disappear.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
MARQUEZ: The president.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
TRUMP: I don't wear masks like him. Every time you see him he's got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from me and he shows up with the biggest mask I've ever seen.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
MARQUEZ: The number one driver of misinformation about the pandemic says a new study from Cornell University. In the report mentions of Donald Trump made up nearly 38 percent of the misinformation conversation, what researchers call and infodemic.
Where is this country right now? JIMINEZ: I think we're in big trouble and that it's going to get worse - a lot worse before it gets better.
MARQUEZ: She knows too well. Part of a large Mexican-American family living across several states. 17 members of her own family have been sickened with the virus. Her Aunt Lolly (ph), once the life of the party, she says is on a ventilator for more than a month now.
JIMENEZ: I look at my patients every day like, you know, I would hate if that was my family member, and now it is.
MARQUEZ: The coronavirus does not discriminate from a Mexican- American family to the first family.
JIMENEZ: I think our country's in bad shape right now and they're getting really bad advice.
[01:25:00]
MARQUEZ: This frontline worker's hope, all Americans will now understand COVID-19 is a killer and isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Miguel Marquez, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: Thank, Miguel. Powerful report there. So coming up on CNN, the pandemic has devastated employment in the airline industry as we all know. Well we'll show you one flight attendants tearful goodbye. And the outlook for another round of stimulus checks to struggling American workers, why there's no relief in sight before election day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Robyn Curnow, live from CNN World News Headquarters here in Atlanta, and it's 29 minutes passed the hour. Thanks for joining me. So Democrats in the House and Republicans in the Senate are both blasting President Trump's latest stimulus proposal but for different reasons. U.S. House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, calls $1.8 trillion offer insufficient and one step forward, two steps back while Senate Republicans are indicating they think the amount is just too high. The stalemate almost ensures that Congress will not pass another stimulus package before election day. And as that squabble continues in Washington, millions and millions of people are now being impacted, especially airline workers who are facing furloughs by the tens of thousands. Pete Muntean has more on how they are suffering.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BREUNNA ROSS, FURLOUGHED AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT ATTENDANT: As all of you know the airline industry has been impacted greatly by this global pandemic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT(voice over): One flight attendant, Breaunna Ross, addressed the passengers of her American Airlines Flight, she didn't expect to leave them with a tearful goodbye.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSS: For myself and one other crew member on our flight today this means we'll be furloughed October 1st. And unfortunately this was my last working flight before that day comes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MUNTEAN(voice over): Airline say they will recall Ross and the roughly 50,000 workers that cut last week but only if they get $25 billion in a new stimulus bill. New tweets from President Trump have thrown a deal into disarray. It's the latest breakdown in talks with House Democrats that airlines call disheartening.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSS: People see numbers on TV but we are real people that are really struggling right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MUNTEAN(voice over): Ross said she's living on savings from her last few months on the job. Just furloughed workers say new federal help is their best hope, 8,000 flight attendants at American Airlines alone are now looking for jobs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALLIE MALIS, FURLOUGHED AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT ATTENDANT: It's been a roller coaster. We've been high, we've been low, we've been on this verge of making this happen for so long and then for it to all just fall apart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MUNTEAN(voice over): In a new letter, airline unions are urging Congress to pass a standalone stimulus for airlines. President Trump tweeted his support but House leaders stress the bill failed in the Senate. Airline unions say lawmakers must end the stimulus standoff with workers caught in the middle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARA NELSON, PRESIDENT, ASSOCIATION OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS: These are people who have been on the frontlines since the beginning of this virus. Hiding is cruel and it's got to be reversed.
CROWD: Save our job. Save our job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEOTAPE) MUNTEAN: There could be more furloughs if Congress does not act.
Delta says it will furlough 1,700 pilots starting November 1st, Southwest says its employees could face pay cuts without federal help.
Pete Muntean, CNN Reagan National Airport.
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR: Now, just about every industry has been impacted by this pandemic, you know that. But especially the entertainment industry as movie filming has largely ceased since the pandemic started. Now, that leaves people like freelance makeup artists, Cheryl Esposito, wondering how she will pay her bill. She wrote an opinion piece for cnn.com criticizing President Trump for how he's handled the stimulus negotiations.
I want to read a little bit to you. She wrote, "We are in the month of October and I'm still figuring out how to pay for the second half of June's rent. Trump's actions - and inactions - are a blatant attack on the American people. I'm angry, tired and grieving."
Well, Cheryl joins me now from Brooklyn, New York. Cheryl, Hi. Good to see you. That was a very powerful piece you wrote on cnn.com. You're angry, you're tired, you're grieving and you also say that you don't know how Donald Trump can sleep at night, why?
CHERYL ESPOSITO, NY BASED FREELANCE MAKEUP ARTIST: Because here we are, we're in this pandemic. The man does not believe in science. He's calling it a hoax. Meanwhile, my career that I love is gone. I have friends that have died, friends that have lost their - people that have lost their children, their brothers, their husbands, some they didn't even get to say goodbye.
And the game, it's really just a big head trip and it feels like it's nothing but a game. We're living his reality show and he acts like a spoiled child. And I think he did this flip flop with the whole stimulus thing the other day because of the embarrassment he made of himself and so now we have to pay for it and especially ...
CURNOW: Well, how are you paying for it? Because there is the broader political ecosystem, we're weeks away from the election. Certainly people are making political choices based on a health crisis, but then they also have a very direct economic and financial crisis that people like you are having to go through. How have you managed with being a freelance makeup artist who hasn't been able to do makeup?
ESPOSITO: So the first thing I did when I started losing my jobs, I let my landlord know what was going on and I said to her, I said as soon as I get things set up, unemployment and the stimulus check comes in, I said I will pay the rent. That was back in March.
My stimulus check didn't come in for three months and as you know, the DOL, I believe nationwide crashed and along with it my account crashed, so that was another three months.
[01:35:00]
So basically I was fortunate enough that my last couple paychecks were fairly big ones and then I had a tiny bit of money trickling in and that was it. I didn't pay my rent. I didn't pay any of my bills for about three months.
CURNOW: How optimistic are you that things will get back to normal once there's a vaccine or perhaps if there's a new president across the industry especially for freelancers, where you are in New York?
ESPOSITO: For freelancers, I mean, I work in film and television and production has started up slowly. However, there's still about 90 percent of us that are not working. At this point, there is not enough work for myself and my colleagues to go back to work. Some days I'm really optimistic, some days I'm not and as soon as we hope that a new administration takes over there, there's so much damage done from this current administration that is going to have to be fixed.
I just feel like there's just so many mountains for them to climb back up and repair once they get there. I'm really trying to stay positive and it's like every time I think that one little click has gone in my direction, it's quickly gone.
CURNOW: Tough times. Thank you for sharing your story. Good luck. And yes, I think that's the one thing we all have each other and we need to stay positive. Cheryl, thank you. Good luck.
ESPOSITO: Thank you.
CURNOW: Just a head on CNN NEWSROOM, it wasn't expected to be closed, why Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham is fighting for his political life in South Carolina. That story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:40:10]
CURNOW: Outrage is growing at the University of Notre Dame. The campus university community is furious that the school's president tested positive for coronavirus after ignoring the rules they have to follow. As Omar Jimenez reports now, it all started in the White House Rose Garden.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT(voice-over): For college campuses in 2020, coronavirus protocol is a delicate balance.
And the university of Notre Dame is no different, requiring masks, avoiding crowds, social distancing, which is why these images of their president cut so deeply.
Father John Jenkins at a White House Rose Garden event for Supreme Court Justice nominee and Notre Dame alum, Amy Coney Barrett, without a mask, shaking hands, and ignoring distancing protocols.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHTON WEBER, JUNIOR, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME: A few days before that happened we had gotten an email from him detailing the protocol that we're supposed to follow and he said this is what everyone needs to do to make sure that we're still here on campus together.
So to see him breaking his own rules made us feel like we were disrespected as a student body.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ(voice over): Jenkins released a statement shortly after, reading, in part, "I failed to lead by example at a time when I've asked everyone else in the Notre Dame community to do so."
But the damage was done. Weber helped organize a petition pushing for Father Jenkins to resign. The student newspaper published an editorial headlined, "Frankly, this is embarrassing."
Then Father Jenkins became one of the many who attended that Rose Garden event to test positive for COVID-19.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAKIRA WALTON, JUNIOR, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME: I felt vindicated. I was like, I was correct. You did the wrong thing and the consequences of your actions that we kind of predicted came true.
And that's horrible. I never want to feel vindicated about somebody getting sick with a potentially deadly disease.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ(voice over): In the wake of his diagnosis, the faculty senate debated going forward with a vote of no confidence in their president. They narrowly decided to postpone further action.
The president's office declined to comment.
In general, the stakes for maintaining COVID protocol at colleges and universities are as high as nearly any aspect of life.
When Notre Dame students began returning to campus, they had to quickly move to all virtual classes after the school said that more than a hundred students tested positive in a little more than two weeks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WEBER: It was really scary. A lot of people started to realize the severity of having a spike in 147 cases after being just two weeks back on campus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ(voice over): Other schools saw similar outbreaks, with the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and North Carolina, Chapel Hill, both among those also having to move to online learning at points to save their semester as they have each now seen coronavirus cases top a thousand total.
And at Notre Dame, their president's diagnosis is just the latest reminder of that high-stakes bounce.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTON: I think a lot more people are taking this seriously because people got sick. I think if there hadn't been as big of an outbreak, if he hadn't gotten sick, people kind of just shrug if off because they could.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: Now, campus-wide, the university has been able to get their coronavirus positivity rate to under 1 percent.
As for Father Jenkins, university officials say that he's been experiencing mild symptoms and has continued to work remotely throughout his recovery.
Omar Jimenez, CNN, South Bend, Indiana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: So to politics now, a comment made by prominent Senate Republican Lindsey Graham Friday night is certainly raising some eyebrows. At one point during a televised interview, Graham was asked about the civil unrest sparked by the police killing of George Floyd earlier on this year. Graham said he did not believe there is systematic racism within the police.
And then he went on to say this, "If you're a young African-American or an immigrant, you can go anywhere in the state, you just need to be conservative, not liberal." Graham with three-term incumbent is facing a strong challenge by his Democratic rival. And as Manu Raju now tells us, Graham has changed his tune with regard to President Trump apparently in an effort to win his tough race ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT(voice over): He's gone from outspoken Trump critic to a staunch Trump defender.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): Thank you for being the best Commander- in-Chief.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU(voice over): And now Lindsey Graham is battling to keep his Senate seat in South Carolina and trying to convince voters he should be rewarded for his loyalty to the President.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM: Here's what I want to tell all the liberals talking about South Carolina. We're going to kick your ass.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU(voice over): Despite attacking Trump five years ago ...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM: He's a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU(voice over): ... he now says this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM: I think it's that we're a team.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU(voice over): And Graham is betting that it his vigorous defense of Trump's Supreme Court nominees and push to confirm his choice of Amy Coney Barrett by month's end will win over voters in this conservative state, despite what he said in the past.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM: I have been helping Trump, and I apparently pissed every level of country off, but we will be fine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:45:06]
RAJU(voice over): But Graham is being swamped by a deluge of attack ads painting him as a craven politician, suddenly making him among the most endangered Republicans.
Democrat Jaime Harrison, a former congressional aide, state party chair and lobbyist, is raising a staggering amount of money and bombarding the airwaves with ads like this one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAIME HARRISON (D), SOUTH CAROLINA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: One of the reasons our political system is broken is politicians who've been in Washington so long.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU(voice over): Harrison has already spent $40 million in advertising, compared to roughly $14 million by Graham.
Harrison has let his ads do the talking, doing little public campaigning, and speaking sparingly to the media.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They have been blitzing us with ads back to
back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have been seeing a lot of Jaime Harrison ads.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I haven't them much more than just ad and on the internet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU(voice over): As a father of two young sons and pre-diabetic, Harrison has been cautious in the age of coronavirus, even insisting a large plexiglass be placed beside him during Saturday's debate.
Harrison's campaign says his schedule has been packed, but his aides would not provide a list of his virtual events, despite many requests by CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: Mr. Harrison, hi. Manu Raju at CNN. Do you have a quick minute to talk before the debate?
HARRISON: No. I have to focus on the debate.
RAJU: Yes, we have been trying to talk to you for this, your campaign hasn't been responding to our questions.
Mr. Harrison, do you have a quick second to talk about the debate, how it end? Sir, any questions from CNN. Will you take them?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU(voice over): At the debate, Harrison attacked Graham over his repeated promises in 2016 and 2018 not to advance a Supreme Court pick in a presidential election year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM: You could use my words against me.
HARRISON: You took an oath to serve and that's what you have done. Now just be a man of it and stand up and say, you know what, I changed my mind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU(voice over): Graham was unapologetic about his reversal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM: Amy Barrett will be a buffer to liberalism. If you want conservative judges, I'm your only bet in this race.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU(voice over): Yet, it's that kind of shift that may cost Graham this voter in Myrtle Beach.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUG ORTH, SOUTH CAROLINA VOTER: Kind of liked him until he flip- flopped on the Supreme Court thing. And that kind of turned me off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU(voice over): But Graham thinks most voters will ultimately reward him in his quest to keep the court and the Senate conservative.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: Do you worry that voters may have lost trust in you?
GRAHAM: No, not at all. I think people can trust me to be fair.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: So that was CNN Senior Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju reporting there. Thanks to mana for that.
Now, the United States isn't the only nation about to hold a national election. New Zealand will also be going to the polls and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is hoping her popularity carries her into another term. Here's Ivan Watson with that story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT(voice over): Cheers loyalty for Jacinda Ardern at her high school alma mater.
New Zealand's 40-year-old Prime Minister has led her country through three once in a generation crises.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACINDA ARDERN, NEW ZEALAND PRIMIE MINISTER: We've had a terrorist attack, a natural disaster and a global pandemic. But in those tough times, we have seen the best of us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON(voice over): Now an election looms and Ardern is running on her COVID-19 record.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARDERN: We're just having a bit of an earthquake here, Ryan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON(voice over): A virus that killed over 1 million people around the world only claimed the lives of 25 New Zealanders and after shutting down early, New Zealand is now almost completely back to normal. But a double digit hit to GDP and the question of how to pay for the recovery has given Arden's election opponent an opportunity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's all borrowed money and (inaudible) ...
ARDERN: (Inaudible) ...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON(voice over): National Party leader Judith Collins says she would be a better steward of the economy. And people are listening, including in the town where the Prime Minister grew up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LLOYD DOWNING, MORRINSVILLE, NEW ZEALAND RESIDENT: Well, I guess we'd have to be proud of her. I mean, she's pretty special person and she's very popular overseas. But here in a party, we could probably wrap up and seen her over there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON(voice over): The ruling Labour Party won't be banking on many votes from the nearly 8,000 people here in Morrinsville. This is a safe conservative seat. Many here say new environmental controls are too tough on farmers and that ardern is loose with the country's purse strings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLEM APTED, MORRINSVILLE, NEW ZEALAND RESIDENT: The spending is just too much. It's going to send the country broke.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON(voice over): But others here who knew the young Jacinda say they understand what drives her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN INGER, MORRINSVILLE, COLLEGE PRINCIPAL: I think she's always had this beef (ph) that that she needs to try to help people who have a tough life to have a better life and I think we've seen that in her politics today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON(voice over): Not many countries are led by a relatively young woman from a modest background, but whoever wins this election, New Zealand's next prime minister will be a woman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNY SHIPLEY, FORMER NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER: This is globally extremely rare. But I don't think New Zealand has viewed it as rare any longer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:50:01]
WATSON(voice over): Jenny Shipley was New Zealand's first female prime minister.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHIPLEY: The public want to see New Zealand. They want to see who we are reflected in their leaders and I think we've achieved that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON(voice over): Polls have Ardern in the lead, enjoying public confidence earned over a tumultuous time in office.
Ivan Watson, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: Ahead on CNN, people along the U.S. Gulf Coast are picking up the pieces from yet another devastating storm. We'll bring you the latest on the damage from Hurricane Delta.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:54:21]
CURNOW: Destruction and devastation, these images out of the U.S. State of Louisiana after Hurricane Delta made landfall on Friday night. It's now categorized as a post tropical cyclone. At its worst the storm knocked out power to a quarter of the state's residents, it downed power lines, trees and homes. Fortunately, though, no fatalities have been reported.
But heavy rains and flooding were a big, big problem, as you can see from these images. Delta dropped more than a foot of rain on Louisiana. The storm also impacted other U.S. states along the Gulf Coast, leaving millions under flash flood watches.
Thousands of National Guardsmen are in Louisiana helping emergency crews. Residents of the State are reeling from these back-to-back storms. As Martin Savidge now report from Lake Charles. Martin.
[01:55:08]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It turns out that Hurricane Delta was not the destructive killer that had been feared. Still, the Governor of Louisiana John Bel Edwards says that it had a greater impact on the western part of Louisiana than they had expected, primarily on the issue of knocking out power. In fact, more people lost power during Hurricane Delta than they did
during the much more powerful Hurricane Laura six weeks ago. In fact, the Governor says at the height of the outages during Delta, 25 percent of all electricity customers in the state lost power. The good news is, it's not expected to take weeks to restore. The other good news, so far no deaths have been attributed to the storm, although I'll underline so far.
The awful irony here in Lake Charles is this community was so devastated by Hurricane Laura at the end of August. It's really hard to tell where the damage of one hurricane ends and the destruction of the next storm begins. But we do know there is additional damage here, you know that by the blue tarps, which were an indication of the families and homeowners starting to make the very basic repairs.
Now you will find blue tarps torn, shredded, ripped and strewn all over Lake Charles, which means that homes have been damaged again and the homeowners and the people who live in them will have to start all over again, which there are signs they're already doing, relying on the help of their friends and neighbors in their community again.
Martin Savidge, CNN, Lake Charles, Louisiana.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: And if you're looking for ways to help the victims of Hurricane Delta, the Impact Your World team can show you how. So take a look at this, go to cnn.com/impact. We will continue updating your Impact Your World page as more information becomes available.
So thanks for watching. I'm Robyn Curnow. Another hour of CNN starts right after the break. See you then.
