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Updates on Coronavirus Responses Across the Country; Sue Woods, Director, Central Montana Public Health, Discusses COVID Hitting Rural Areas of Montana, Threatening to Overwhelm Hospitals; Protests Erupt in Philadelphia after Police Fatally Shoot Black Man; Biden Speaks in Warm Springs, Georgia. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired October 27, 2020 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:34:45]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: The rising rate of coronavirus infections in Michigan includes an outbreak at a state prison where all but 30 prisoners tested positive. Corrections officials say the Marquette Branch Prison holds 600 inmates.

At one point, more than 200 of the 327 employees could not come to work either because they tested positive or had come into close contact with someone that had and they had to quarantine.

[13:35:10]

Here are other coronavirus headlines that CNN correspondents are covering.

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ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am Adrienne Broaddus in Chicago.

And in Wisconsin, the state has top 200,000 COVID-19 cases. In two months, the state's seven-day average of new confirmed cases jumped 405 percent.

Let's give you some perspective. It took about seven and a half months before Wisconsin saw 100,000 cases, compared to 36 days for the second set of 100,000 cases.

Since the start of the pandemic, COVID-19 has ended the lives of more than 1700 people in Wisconsin.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: I am Jacqueline Howard in Atlanta.

The number of COVID-19 cases among children has jumped 14 percent in just two weeks, according to American Academy of Pediatrics.

The group says more than 790,000 children in the U.S. have been infected with coronavirus. Among them, more than 90,000 new cases were recently reported over a couple of weeks. And that marks a significant increase.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: I am Pete Muntean in Washington.

So many people wonder if travel for the holidays in spite of the pandemic.

A just released Harvard study says the filtered air onboard a commercial airliner is up to 99 percent safe from coronavirus. Harvard scientists stress that wearing a mask on board a flight is critical.

Their study focused only on the air on board the airplane. They say there needs to be more research on the entire travel experience, something they call curb to curb, that includes the air inside of airports.

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KEILAR: Thank you so much to all of our correspondents for those reports.

Another big concern right now is rural America. The coronavirus hitting the last untouched areas in the country. And local health officials are concerned about the strains on hospitals.

Montana has tied its record high of 360 hospitalizations. It is one of 11 states recording record high hospitalizations.

Sue Woods is with us now, the director of Central Montana Public Health.

Sue, I really appreciate you being here to talk to us about what your community is going through.

How concerned are you about the spike in cases in Montana? And do you feel like you have resources, do hospitals have resources they need to handle the rising number of patients?

SUE WOODS, PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR, CENTRAL MONTANA PUBLIC HEALTH DISTRICT: Well, I think all health care providers and public health workers are concerned with the spike that we're seeing now.

I know our hospitals depending on capacity are at or over what they normally see. So, yes, it is an ongoing concern for sure.

KEILAR: The White House coronavirus response coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, was in North Dakota.

And she said this, quote:

"Over the last 24 hours, as we were in your grocery stores, in your restaurants, frankly, even in your hotels, this is the least use of masks in any establishments of any place we have been. We find that deeply unfortunate. You don't know who is infected and you don't know if you're infected yourself."

Is that something that you see happening in rural America more broadly? Are you seeing that, Sue?

WOODS: Well, honestly, I think that we've had more mask use since the numbers have been rising at least locally. It is always a concern that there are people that just don't wear masks.

But when I go out, what I'm seeing now, compared to say a month or two months ago, is encouraging for me at least. It seems like people are becoming more aware and more compliant with the governor's directive.

KEILAR: That's wonderful news. People are trying to stay safe and protect neighbors and friends and family.

Can you give us a sense of when you look at rural populations and the access that folks have to medical care? It might be something that they have to travel farther to get.

What are the unique challenges that rural communities are facing in the pandemic?

WOODS: Well, I think that's exactly right, what you said.

There's in a lot of communities 50, 75, 100 miles to the nearest hospital. Because of this, what we see are small communities drawing together to support each other.

They're looking out for each other, taking care of their elderly, making sure that they have the groceries and medications that they need.

[13:40:06]

You know, we're used to being isolated in Montana. You know, it's a beautiful, big space with not a lot of people. And so we're used to taking care of each other.

I'm always encouraged and heartened by how well our small communities take care of each other.

KEILAR: Yes. It is a beautiful place. There's nothing like a small community for that true sense of community that you're talking about.

Sue, thank you so much for being with us.

WOODS: Thank you for having me.

KEILAR: Justice Brett Kavanaugh may have just showed his hand on how the Supreme Court could disrupt vote counting after the election.

Plus, the police killing of a black man in Philadelphia sparks protests across the city with dozens of officers hurt. We're live there next.

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[13:45:23] KEILAR: Chaos erupts in Philadelphia after police shoot and kill a black man. Officers arresting dozens of protesters after 24 hours of rocks and bricks being thrown. This injured some officers, including one who was hit by a pickup truck. Crowds set fires.

A witness that recorded a video of the shooting said the victim, Walter Wallace Jr, was confronted by police after leaving a house armed with a knife.

CNN's Brynn Gingras is in west Philadelphia and has more on the video as well as an update on the protests and the investigation.

Brynn, we understand that several officials are asking people not to rush to judgment. Walk us through what happened.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly right, Brianna.

First, I want to say we are outside the home of Walter Wallace where his mother is living. The cameras are setting up. We are expected to hear from her for the first time since this happened last night.

This is the street we are standing on where Walter Wallace was shot by police. And his mother was not only there, not only witnessed that, but also was crying out for police to de-escalate, to not shoot her son.

But, again, this all happened before her eyes. We're waiting for that. You can imagine we heard from family members that she's doubled over in pain, in anger, with so many questions.

And that anger really flooded out into the streets of west Philadelphia, where, as you mentioned, there were instances of looting and police officers hurt as well as arrests.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I knew they were going to shoot.

GINGRAS (voice-over): A city on edge today as questions swirl around a fatal officer-involved shooting in west Philadelphia Monday, which the Philadelphia district attorney's office now says it is investigating.

The confrontation was captured on graphic video.

Police say a 27-year-old man, Walter Wallace, was brandishing a knife, but it is unclear what exactly led to the deadly shooting.

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SGT. ERIC GRIPP, SPOKESPERSON, PHILADELPHIA POLICE DEPARTMENT: Bullets struck the male, dropped the knife, and was scooped up by one of the discharging officers. He took him into the police car, drove him over to Presbyterian Hospital, where, unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries. GINGRAS: The incident led to looting and unrest in Philadelphia last

night where the police department said more than 30 people were arrested and dozens of officers were injured. One suffering a broken leg after she was struck by a car.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf said he is saddened by Wallace's death.

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GOV. TOM WOLF (D-PA): I share in mourning with the family. I and my staff have been in constant communication since last night with the folks in Philadelphia. And the hope is that that doesn't escalate into anything more than the peaceful protests that this kind of situation brings out.

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GINGRAS: A law enforcement official tells CNN police were responding to a call about a domestic incident. His mother tried to intervene.

A witness to the shooting, Maurice Holloway, said that he and others in the neighborhood pleaded with Wallace to drop the knife.

MAURICE HOLLOWAY, WITNESS: I don't know what his demeanor was. I do know something had to be going on that wasn't normal.

GINGRAS: Holloway says he wishes the call hadn't led to Wallace's death.

HOLLOWAY: Shoot him in his leg or don't shoot him at all.

GINGRAS: The head of a Philadelphia police union said the officers had to use lethal force.

And released a statement saying, in part, quote, "We support and defend these officers as they, too, are traumatized by being involved in a fatal shooting."

Mayor Jim Kenney echoed the confusion of the community and hoped for a speedy, transparent investigation.

Saying in a statement, quote, "My prayers are with the family and friends of Walter Wallace. I have watched the video of this tragic incident and it presents difficult questions that must be answered."

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KEILAR: All right, Brynn, thank you.

Let's listen in to former Vice President Joe Biden in Georgia.

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: -- the longest walk an American can make up a short flight of stairs to his children's bedroom to tell a child, you can't play in that little league team anymore. You can't go back to the same school. We can't stay here, Joey. We can't stay in Scranton anymore. We have to move. There are good jobs in Delaware. When I get one, I'll come back for you, your sister, your brother, and your mom. It is only 157 miles away, Joey.

[13:49:58]

My father came home every weekend for that year or more but he always said when we finally got settled in Delaware, used to say, Joey, a job -- and all my friends would hear it as well -- a job is a lot more than just a paycheck. My sister heard it as well, Valerie.

He said, it's about your dignity, a job, it's about respect, it's about your place in the community.

And right now, in this autumn afternoon, millions of Americans all across this country feel they've lost all of that.

A season of protest has broken out all across the nation. Some of it is just senseless burning and looting and violence that can't be tolerated. And it won't.

But much of it is a cry for justice from a community that's long had a knee of injustice on their neck.

The names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake, they'll not soon be forgotten. Not by me, not by us and not by this country. They're going to inspire a new way of justice in America.

These are historic, painful crises. The insidious virus, the economic anguish, the systematic discrimination.

And one of them would have rocked the nation, any one of them. Yet, we've been hit by all three at once.

But if we're honest with ourselves, the pain striking at the heart of our country goes back months -- not months, but year but years.

Our politics for too long have been mean, bitter and divisive. And you hear it now in the distance.

We've stopped seeing dignity in one another. We've stopped showing each other respect. Too many among us spend more time shouting than listening.

More time fighting than working together. We've stopped showing each other respect.

Too many among us spend more time shouting than listening, more time fighting than working together, more time demonizing and denigrating others than lifting them up.

The divisions in our nation are getting wider. Angry people are upset. Anger and suspicion are growing. And our wounds are getting deeper.

Many wonder, has it gone too far. Have we passed the point of no return? Has the heart of this nation turned to stone?

I don't think so. I refuse to believe it. I know this country. I know our people. And I know we can unite and heal this nation.

Warm Springs is a good place to talk about hope and healing. So Franklin Roosevelt came, quote, "to use the therapeutic waters," to rebuild himself.

Stricken by polio, the polio virus in 1921, he suffered from paralysis. Like many other Americans in those pre-vaccine decades, FDR long would live an independent life. A life that wasn't defined by his illness.

To him, and to so many others, they have seen physical challenges. Warm Springs offered therapy for the body and I might add and the soul.

But it offered something else as well. FDR came looking for a cure, but it was the lessons he learned here that he used to lift a nation. Humility. Empathy. Courage. Optimism.

This place represented a way forward. A way of restoration, of resilience, of healing.

And in the years that followed, FDR would come back to Warm Springs often, to think about how to heal the nation and the world.

That's exactly what he did. Lifting us out of a Great Depression, defeating tyranny, saving democracy.

And then it was here on April 12, 1945, that President Roosevelt died. A casualty of war as surely as any who fell in combat. And the free world mourned. America's leaders wept.

Maybe even more important was the reaction the American people.

Naval Chief Petty Officer Graham Jackson (ph), a black man, cried as he played his accordion in tribute to FDR, not far from here.

In the stories told, when Franklin Delano's funeral procession went by, a man collapsed in grief. And the neighbor asked him, did you know the president. The response was no. The man said, but he knew me. He -- knew -- me.

[13:55:20]

Few words better describe the kind of president our nation needs right now. A president who is not in it for himself but for others. A president who doesn't divide us but unites us.

A president who appeals not to the worst in us but to the best. A president who cares less about his TV ratings and more about the American people.

The president that looks not to settle scores but to find solutions. A president guided not by wishful thinking, but by science, reason and fact.

That's the kind of president I hope to be.

I'm running as a proud Democrat. But I will govern as an American president.

I'll work with Democrats and Republicans. I'll work as hard for those who don't support me as for those who do.

That's the job of a president. A duty of care for everyone.

This place, Warm Springs, is a reminder that, though broken, each of us can be healed. That, as a people and a country, we can overcome this devastating virus. That we can heal a suffering world. And, yes, we can restore our soul and save our country.

In his last hours, President Roosevelt was as work on a speech to be delivered the next day.

In it, he was to say, quote, "Today, we must cultivate the science of human relationships. The ability of all people, of all kinds to live together and work together in the same world at peace."

To live together and work together. That's how I see America. That's how I see the presidency. And that's how I see the future.

I tell you this from my heart. I believe in America and American hope, not fear. Unity, not division. Love, not hate.

The presidency, though, is only one part of the American chorus. History isn't only a story of the great and the famous. No. Our history's a story of "we, the people." Of all of us. Together.

I've long said the story of America is a story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Change in our country comes on the voices of the powerless, reaching the ears of the powerful.

And those whose names we'll never know but who risked their lives, through the words of Dr. King, bend the arc of the universe towards justice. Bending that arc is the work of our time.

But it will take all of us, red states, blue states, Republicans, Democrats, conservatives and liberals. And I believe from the bottom of my heart we can do it.

People ask me, why are you so confident, Joe. Because we are the United States of America. There's nothing, nothing the American people can't do. And not able to do when we put our minds to it.

The news of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's death went out on the wires. An editor in Chicago turned to his colleagues and said, clear the decks for action.

I say to you today, if you give me the honor of serving as your president, clear the decks for action. For we will act.

We will act on the first day of my presidency to get COVID under control.

We will act to pass my economic plan that will finally reward work, not wealth in this country.

We will act to pass my health care plan to provide affordable, accessible health care for every American, and drug prices that are dramatically lowered.

We'll act to pass the Biden climate plan, meeting challenges of a climate crisis while creating millions of good-paying, high-paying labor jobs.

We'll act to address systemic racism in our country.

We'll act to give working people a fair shot again in this country.

[14:00:03]

And we'll act to restore our faith in democracy and our faith in one another.