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Protests Erupt in Philadelphia; Young Voter Surge; Defamation Lawsuit Goes Forward against Trump; Children with COVID-19 Increased 14 Percent. Aired 9:30-10a ET
Aired October 27, 2020 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[09:31:44]
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Well, protests erupted overnight in Philadelphia. This is after police officers yesterday shot and killed a black man.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, and a warning here, an important one, the video you're about to see is disturbing. Police tell a CNN affiliate there that they were responding to calls about a man with a knife. Officers say they found the man identified as Walter Wallace brandishing the weapon, you'll see here, acting, they say, erratically. We paused the video, as you can tell, before the shooting. Afterwards, police transported Wallace to a nearby hospital. He died there.
HARLOW: That's right. And this deadly shooting set off a series of protests across Philadelphia. During those protests overnight, 30 police officers were injured.
Our Sara Murray joins us this morning.
Good morning, Sara.
I mean there -- there are so many unanswered questions this morning. What are police saying at this point?
SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, there are a lot of unanswered questions and police and the mayor say that there will be an investigation. The police commissioner says that I heard and felt the anger of the community, and that was clearly on display last night when we saw these protests erupt overnight.
About 30 officers were injured, including one who was struck by a truck and who broke her leg and about ten were arrested as these protests broke out. And we saw some businesses that were looted across this city.
Now, this investigation is still going to continue. The mayor has called this a tragic incident and says that he has been in touch with the Wallace family. The police commissioner also says that she would like to be in touch with community members and the Wallace family when there is time.
But, obviously, tensions are running high here in Philadelphia.
HARLOW: Certainly.
Please let us know when you get more updates, Sara, as we're looking at some more video of the protests.
Thanks very, very much.
All right, back to the election.
Younger voters are right now casting more ballots in this election than they did in 2018 and 2016. Our Dana Bash goes back to campus to find out why.
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[09:38:06]
SCIUTTO: Young -- cue "Young Americans" by David Bowie if you're old enough to remember that song, and I am, by the way.
HARLOW: I was like what it -- what is that?
SCIUTTO: Oh, I've -- I'm going to talk to Poppy during the break and walk her through the late '70s.
HARLOW: I mean you walked -- you walked into that one, Sciutto.
SCIUTTO: Deservedly.
Well, right now, younger voters are casting early ballots at a much faster rate, much higher rate than we saw at this point in both 2016, 2018. That could make a difference.
HARLOW: So let's go to our Dana Bash, who also isn't old enough to know about that song by David Bowie.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes.
HARLOW: Dana.
BASH: And you are missing out. I will spare you singing it because I don't want people to turn the television off, but you're missing out, Poppy.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
HARLOW: Please, do.
You went -- you went to college, Dana. What did you find?
BASH: Yes, I did. And I went back to college this weekend. And, you know, young voters, as you both know, they're often the -- kind of the white whale of politics. Campaigns think that they're energized and that they're going to turn out, but often they're disappointed when they don't. But 2020 really seems different and it could be the year of the youth vote.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASH (voice over): University of Virginia sophomore Libby Klingler is up early on a Saturday ready to roll.
LIBBY KLINGER, COMMS DIRECTOR, UVA COLLEGE REPUBLICANS: These people will probably be home now.
BASH: Joining fellow campus Republicans to get out the vote.
KLINGER: There is a lot of enthusiasm among young conservatives to vote, especially in this critical year with everything that's been going on with the pandemic.
We're out here canvasing today.
BASH: They are the die-hards, but still say everyone they know is voting.
KAYLEE CORVIN, OUTREACH COORDINATOR, UVA COLLEGE REPUBLICANS: People are really starting to recognize just all of the different chaos within the political climate right now, that voting is the only real say that we can have
BASH: UVA Democrats are driving people to the polls.
Hunter Hess (ph) waited with Mave Conic (ph) for over an hour to cast an early vote.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've been doing it a lot, especially with first year students who like don't know the voting process very well.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know if I know anyone -- like any of my personal friends who haven't voted already.
BASH: On the lawn, the students say voting is trendy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like people on social media, they'll like post pictures of them and their ballot, them and their "I voted" sticker.
[09:40:03]
BASH (on camera): So it's almost like a -- you feel a little peer pressure to vote?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
BASH (voice over): Young voters are a crucial part of the electorate and are already making up a large share of early voting across 14 key states compared to 2016.
In Wisconsin, early voting among young people is up from where it was in 2016 and both parties are working it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've seen an increase in the number of people asking questions about how to get registered to vote and trying to get registered to vote.
BASH: The share of the youth vote is almost double what it was this time four years ago in Florida.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to the FSU and FAMU (ph) College Democrats.
BASH: College students here and across the pandemic stricken country largely organized virtually. Youth turnout broke records in 2018. And researchers at Tisch College's Circle at Tufts University say protests across the country helped keep the surge going.
ABBY KIESA, TISCH COLLEGE OF CIVIC LIFE, TUFTS UNIVERSITY: We found that young people who are marching and demonstrating not only were more likely to be registering people to vote but were much more likely to be talking to other young people about the election and issues that they care about.
BASH: Democrats say that's the climate crisis and racial justice. Republicans, the economy and jobs.
The Biden campaign motto is to reach young people where they are, launching Biden/Harris designs for players on the popular Nintendo game "Animal Crossing."
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gaming on the social media platform Twitch.
Joe Biden talking to Cardi B.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Even if my pop wins --
BASH: And his granddaughters with young influencers, like Kia Gerber (ph) and Madi Zigler (ph).
The Trump campaign says their best influencers are regular young people reaching out to friends, like in a March Madness style competition called MAGA Madness.
CHANDLER THORNTON, NATIONAL CHAIRMAN, COLLEGE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Particularly right now they're online, especially in this environment that we're in. So leaning into digital platforms is the best way we can reach young voters.
COURTNEY BRITT, REGIONAL VICE CHAIR, COLLEGE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: I don't know if it's because the pandemic has reduced the number of activities that we can do that everyone's like turn their attention. Yes, like there's fewer sports to follow so this is the thing everyone's focused on.
BASH: Back on the lawn at UVA, some students are more passionate for the active voting than the candidates. These three voted for Biden.
BASH (on camera): Are you -- are you excited?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not excited about him, but I like that he at least focuses on climate policy.
BASH (voice over): Some Republican students say the same.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had my concerns he wasn't too conservative. However, I'm a big fan of the tax cuts.
BASH: Kiera Goddu, president of UVA College Democrats, organizes phone banking to voters in Virginia and battleground states across the country. She says young Democrats are motivated by Trump's 2016 win.
KIERA GODDU, PRESIDENT, UVA UNIVERSITY DEMOCRATS: The evidence that he can win an election which wasn't -- we didn't have that last time.
BASH (on camera): It was a wake-up call for you?
GODDU: Yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: Now, colleges like UVA, where we went, but similarly all across the country, Jim and Poppy, they are taking classes online but many of them, most of these schools, have the students in school, on campus. They're just doing it online. So you see them kind of gathered social distanced carefully and so that is where you kind of hear and feel the buzz about voting, but they are still trying very much to reach their friends and colleagues online, particularly when they're trying to explain how to register to vote and make a plan to actually vote.
SCIUTTO: Yes, that is interesting, right? So, hey, if you're not going to class, you got more time to vote.
HARLOW: Exactly.
SCIUTTO: Dana Bash, thanks very much.
BASH: Thanks.
HARLOW: Thanks, Dana.
SCIUTTO: Make sure -- make sure to join us on election night for coverage that only CNN can deliver. From the first votes to the critical final count, understand what's happening in your state and across the country. "Election Night in America," our special coverage begins one week from today, 4:00 Eastern Time, only here on CNN.
HARLOW: All right, we have breaking news.
Just in, a federal judge has just denied the Justice Department's effort to intervene in that defamation lawsuit brought against a president by long-time magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll. The decision paves the way for this case to go forward. SCIUTTO: CNN crime and justice correspondent Shimon Prokupecz joins us
now from New York.
And, Shimon, this was already unusual, right, asking the Department of Justice to intervene in this case.
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
SCIUTTO: How did the judge decide here and what happens next?
PROKUPECZ: Yes, the judge decided that the Department of Justice here, which was in essence trying to come in and step in for the president, and take responsibility for this lawsuit because they were arguing that when the president made comments denying that he sexually assaulted E. Jean Carroll, that she has sued. He came in and he basically claimed the president at the time that these were false allegations, that he never sexually assaulted her. She, in turn, sued him here in New York in state court for defamation.
So then when the state court decided that the president could be sued because he had argued that he can't be sued because he's a sitting president, the state court said, no, that's not the case. We're going to proceed with this lawsuit.
[09:45:00]
The Department of Justice, in an unusual move, interceded. They then filed to take charge of this case. And now this federal judge here in Manhattan denying that, saying that the Department of Judge cannot intervene in this lawsuit.
The next step, obviously, is that this is going to have to wind its way through the courts. But, nonetheless, a loss here for the president and also the Department of Justice.
Jim.
SCIUTTO: Shimon, good to have you on top of it. Thanks very much.
And we will be right back.
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[09:50:27]
SCIUTTO: All right, so we've been watching this closely because coronavirus infections among children have increased by 14 percent just over the past two weeks. And while we should note severe illness and deaths from COVID-19 extremely rare among kids, there are, though, a growing number of patients with both mild and severe cases, and this is key, who are not fully recovering quickly.
HARLOW: Right. They're called COVID long haulers. And you might not understand what that is. So here to help you understand are Amy Wilson and her daughter Maggie Flannery, who both tested positive for COVID back in March. Maggie is still living through this and the symptoms. We're glad you're here. Good morning, guys.
MAGGIE FLANNERY, 13-YEAR-OLD COVID-19 "LONG HAULER": Good morning.
HARLOW: Maggie, happy belated 13th birthday. I understand you just recently had a birthday.
FLANNERY: Thank you.
HARLOW: Hope it was great. Welcome to the teenage years.
But in all seriousness, I think a lot of people watching may never have heard this term, long hauler, and certainly don't know that kids can have long lasting really important symptoms for a while.
What did you go through?
FLANNERY: Well, at the beginning of the quarantine, I was sick for a little while. And then I got better for about five days. And then I went down again and it was a lot worse the second time.
So the second time I had a lot of like chest pain and I had -- it felt like it was like hard to breathe and had a lot of back pain and I was extremely tired all the time and I was very light headed. I was really nauseous and I didn't want to eat.
AMY WILSON, 13-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER IS COVID-19 "LONG HAULER": Right. This was going on for weeks. She was bed ridden for a couple of -- a couple of months after her initial infection. And when we thought she got better, then all of a sudden she started to get worse again.
SCIUTTO: Goodness. I mean that -- that is difficult, no fun for mother or daughter as you go through that.
Amy, you went through great lengths to find out exactly what was happening here. And there was a lot of resistance from doctors. I mean there's -- some were saying it was psychological. I wonder how frustrating that must have been for you, but also how did you break though? How did you get to the point where you said, OK, this is what it is?
WILSON: You know, I had to -- I had to be OK with the fact that this is a novel coronavirus, Maggie's pediatrician from the beginning was very much on her team, never doubted what she was reporting, just didn't know what to make of it and were telling us, well, give it another week, we'll give it another two weeks. Then after a couple of months, they said, OK, time to see some specialists. And the specialists were the ones who were sort of saying, well, we don't see anything on her EKG, so she's fine. Guess what, she's -- she's healthy. And I knew she wasn't. So it was frustrating but at the same time I knew there was no way for these specialists to understand what long COVID was when we were all figuring it out at the same time.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
HARLOW: Amy, our viewers are looking at these pictures of you, and forgive my surprise, I hadn't seen them before. I mean there's some of you hear sort of recovering, doing your school work, but also of you with IVs in at the hospital.
What do you want to say to anyone who says, look, children don't get COVID, or, you know, even the president said children are almost immune. You prove otherwise.
FLANNERY: A lot of kids aren't going to be very sick. But it could be very bad. So you need to think about it, that you are going to be very bad, so you're careful enough that you don't get it and risk being sick for this long.
WILSON: I think that's the point is that -- that you don't want your kids to get COVID because you don't want them to get COVID. It's not just about them being asymptomatic spreaders that could infect the grandparents, it's -- it can be bad in and of itself.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
Listen, I mean, it's important for us all to hear this. Both Poppy and I have kids as well, you know.
HARLOW: Yes.
SCIUTTO: And, you know, you can get lulled into a false sense of security almost naturally.
Maggie, and Amy, I'm curious what doctors are saying now to you? Like, what do you have to do? How long do they expect that you have to go through this?
FLANNERY: A lot of them are saying that they think they're -- I'm going to be getting better soon, but they aren't really sure either, just because this is a new thing. So they're kind of learning about it with us. And they're asking us and stuff, too.
WILSON: They're looking at people who had SARS and things like that. So people who had SARS had chronic fatigue syndrome afterwards and are still not better. So there's a possibility that this is going to take years and there's a possibility that the improvement that we've seen in recent weeks is going to continue to happen and she'll continue to get better.
[09:55:07]
HARLOW: Maggie, any final thoughts you want to share with people around your age who might be watching and might be going through COVID, might have family members who have gone through it?
FLANNERY: If you are going through it, at a certain point it feels like you aren't going to get better and, you know, you've kind of lost hope that I was going to get better. But I've gotten better and I'm almost completely done with it. So just like keep pushing through it and it's going to be OK.
SCIUTTO: Well, guys, we wish you the best. I know you're going to get through. I can see it in your smile.
And, Amy, hats off to you for going through it too, because I can't imagine that as a parent. It just has to be frustrating, it has to be heartbreaking.
WILSON: It is. It is. Thank you so much for letting us tell Maggie's story.
HARLOW: Yes.
SCIUTTO: All right, Amy and Maggie, good luck to you.
Other news this hour, President Trump is sprinting across the Midwest as Joe Biden has his sights set on a state that has not gone Democratic since 1992. We're watching the final stretch ahead in this election.
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HARLOW: Good morning, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow.
SCIUTTO: And I'm Jim Sciutto.
It is one week to Election Day.
[10:00:01]
Make sure to get your vote in. The candidates, they're on the trail and coronavirus infections are on the rise, sadly. This health crisis gripping
