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West Virginia's GOP Governor Says, I Don't Want to be Like South Dakota; Disney is Laying Off 32,000 Employees as Pandemic Worsens; Democratic Officials Caught Not Following Their Own Guidelines. Aired 11:30a-12p ET
Aired November 26, 2020 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:30:01]
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: West Virginia's Republican governor, Jim Justice, is defending his mask mandate while blasting a fellow Republican for not doing more to stop the spread of coronavirus. He's calling out South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JIM JUSTICE (R-WV): As I've told you repeatedly, over and over and over, we have to get to the vaccine. And so, if you're inconvenienced, if don't believe you in it, please wear it. I mean, please wear it. What's the downside?
I had many, many people that were calling and they were saying to me over and over and over, we want to be like South Dakota. We want to be South Dakota. Well, I don't want to be South Dakota.
I don't know how in the world that we could have any desire whatsoever to be South Dakota, where they have led the entire world --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Governor Justice went on to play a news clip highlighting South Dakota's alarming statistics, including the fact that the state has the highest seven-day positivity rate in the country, at times, above 60 percent. That means that more than half of all South Dakota residents getting tested turn out positive. The spread is so aggressive there, 1 in 12 people have had the virus in South Dakota at some point.
Also happening this morning, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is reacting to a new Supreme Court ruling that blocks him from limiting the number of people who gather at houses of worship. Governor Cuomo downplaying the Supreme Court's decision and questioning the need for the court to even issue a decision considering the restrictions in question have already been lifted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY) (voice-over): Why rule on a case that is moot and come up with a different decision than you did several months ago on the same issue? You have a different court. And I think that was the statement that the court was making.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ (voice-over): The Supreme Court's decision was made in a 5-4 split with the newest justice, Amy Coney Barrett, casting the deciding vote.
Joining me now, CNN's Supreme Court Analyst Joan Biskupic. Joan, thanks so much for joining us on Thanksgiving. I hope you're having a good holiday.
The point the governor is making there is that the court did rule on this a few months ago with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg casting the deciding vote, meaning this is a direct result of having Justice Amy Coney Barrett on the court.
JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN SUPREME COURT ANALYST: Yes. Happy Thanksgiving to you too, Boris.
The governor now that this is a different court. When the Supreme Court took up these kinds of issues, from California and Nevada before the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, they deferred to state officials and they acknowledged that there were concerns about the free exercise of religion but said that there was an overriding public health concern here that local officials are trying to grapple with.
And in this case, in fact, Boris, if Ruth Bader Ginsburg were still on, I am sure that she would have also thought should we weigh in with the governor saying that these restrictions are influx. The churches and synagogues that have appealed to the Supreme Court might not even be covered by the restrictions, but it clearly is now a court controlled by a five-justice majority without Chief Justice John Roberts, which is a very new development for this court.
Five justices on the far-right saying, no, the overriding free exercise concerns are what's important here.
[11:35:02]
And we're not going to defer to local officials and it's time to stop what the majority believes is a nationwide trend against religious services.
SANCHEZ: Now, Joan, I want to get your take on Justice Neil Gorsuch's concurring opinion. He's really making a statement here. He writes, quote, so at least, according to the governor, it may be unsafe to go to church but it is always fine to pick up another bottle of wine, shop for a new bike or spending the afternoon exploring your distal points and meridians. Who knew public health was so perfectly aligned with secular convenience?
He's not holding back there.
BISKUPIC: He's not, Boris. And you could have picked several sort of mocking lines from that multi-page concurrence there. In fact, when I was reading it early this morning, I was like, wow. He said, you know, the Constitution doesn't take a holiday. Why are local officials doing this?
And two things, Boris, not only did he come out strongly saying that local officials are trying to impinge free exercise rights, he took out, after his colleagues, enough so that Chief Justice Roberts, in his dissenting opinion, said, I do not agree that the dissenters in this case are trying to cut loose the Constitution at this time of COVID, sort of Neil Gorsuch for his very caustic tone there, Boris.
SANCHEZ: Yes. We have just been talking about the legacy of President Donald Trump as he gets closer to leaving office, and perhaps this is the most consequential, his impact on the Supreme Court. Joan Biskupic, thanks so much for the time. Enjoy the rest of your holiday.
BISKUPIC: Thank you, you too.
SANCHEZ: Thanks.
Democratic officials are apologizing or reversing course after they break their own COVID rules.
Plus, as 260,000 Americans die, a Republican senator says the media coverage of COVID is too negative. We'll discuss.
And millions of Americans going hungry as the pandemic worsens across the country. We'll go live to a food bank.
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[11:40:00]
SANCHEZ: Rattled by the pandemic, Disney is planning massive layoffs. 32,000 employees are expected to lose their jobs by the end of March as the pandemic hammers Disney's parks and resorts. That's about 4,000 more jobs than the company had announced it was planning to cut next year. Disney is warning that future cuts in T.V. and film production could also come and that more employees could be furloughed or terminated.
A lot of uncertainty, a lot of need, and that's especially evident on a day like today. There's a hunger crisis on this Thanksgiving, one that by the end of the year could leave more than 50 million Americans without reliable access to food. Many families finding themselves in a situation they could never have imagined, like turning to food banks for meals.
CNN's Ryan Young is joining us from a food distribution site in Atlanta. Ryan, these meals are becoming a lifeline for many, especially now during the holidays. Give us a sense of what you're seeing there today.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is tough, Boris, because you think about it, we're focused on today because it's Thanksgiving. But people who have been living this, have been going through this almost the entire pandemic, a lot of folks have lost their job back in March. I talked to one person who hadn't been able to find any work, they needed this meal today because they had nowhere to go and also live in their car, so you can understand that.
This is the line where people have been showing up to get food. And you see all these boxes that are lined up right here. This is able to put the boxes from here into the back of people's cars and to give them the food. This massive center usually would be full. This is (INAUDIBLE) to feed the hungry. They've been doing it for 50 years. And, normally, they would do haircuts, they would do washes, they would hand out clothes. But this year, the effort is quite different.
And as we walk back to this direction, you can see the assembly line that they have created here because even down this way, they have services for the homeless where they can come in and get food as they walk up. A lot of temperature checks going on. They're worried about the pandemic but they're worried.
But, look, we often talk about making sure our first responders are taken care of and having respect for our veterans. When, we talked to one veteran today who said he absolutely needed this because it's been rough few months. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARLOS ALANIZ, ATTENDING FOOD DISTRIBUTION: I'm just truly grateful that there is still people and organizations that are helping when you need help.
I know how to survive, try to survive, I workday labor jobs, make a little money. And when I need help, I go to these events.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: Yes. Real quick, Boris, somebody compared this to Katrina, they've never seen an effort this sustained in this city of people needing food. Talking to one volunteer, there are several mothers who showed up here with their kids in the car and they planned to eat their Thanksgiving dinner in the car. That is a tough fact to hear, especially with so much that's going on. And people worried about social distancing and COVID-19.
[11:45:02]
It's just tough to say Happy Thanksgiving when you know so many people are struggling the way so many folks are. Boris?
SANCHEZ: It certainly is. Ryan, I'm so glad you said that, because if you are watching and you do have a lot of to be grateful for this Thanksgiving and you're gifted with abundance, it's important to think about giving to those who need it most. Ryan Young reporting from Atlanta, thank you so much.
It's a story we've seen play out several times over the course of the pandemic. Several state and local leaders forced to apologize for flouting their own strict coronavirus restrictions this Thanksgiving holiday.
Plus, Thanksgiving means turkey and football, but the NFL and some NCAA conferences forced to cancel or reschedule games amid a rise in COVID cases. We've got details ahead.
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[11:50:00]
SANCHEZ: Do as I say, not as I do. That seems to be the message from a series of top Democratic officials on this holiday, forced to apologize or reverse course after being called out or caught not practicing the very social distancing measures that they have been preaching.
First up, the mayor of Denver, Michael Hancock. He enthusiastically encouraged his city to stay home this Thanksgiving, tweeting out guidance like this. Quote, stay home, stay in touch with friends, family by phone or online. Shortly after sending that tweet, the mayor's office confirmed that Hancock himself flew to Mississippi to spend the holiday with his wife and daughter.
Hancock later released a statement asking Denver residents for forgiveness. Quote, I apologize to the residents of Denver who see my decision as conflicting with the guidance to stay at home for all but essential travel. I made my decision as a husband and father. And for those who are angry and disappointed, I humbly ask you to forgive decisions that are borne of my heart and not my head.
Unfortunately, Mayor Hancock is not alone. Take New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, earlier this week, he told a local radio host that his Thanksgiving would include his 89-year-old mother.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO (voice-over): My mom is going to come up and two of my girls, is the current plan. But the plans change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: In the same interview, Cuomo told New Yorkers that this can't be a typical Thanksgiving, that you should not have friends and family gathering.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: I'm trying to say to people now, you know, you watch these commercials on T.V., and they're selling commercial Thanksgiving, right? 20 people around the table, pass me the wine, pass me this, that's not happening. That can't happen. It can't happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: The backlash was quick and so was the reversal. An adviser to the governor telling CNN the next day that the plans had changed, and the governor would be working on the holiday.
That now brings us to California Governor Gavin Newsom. Newsom has repeatedly warned Californians to keep social gatherings small. California state health guidelines prohibit people for more than three households getting together. So, when reports surfaced that the governor and his wife attended a birthday party at French Laundry, an exclusive Napa Valley restaurant, earlier this month, joined by at least a dozen other people from different households, the backlash was immediate and an apology quickly followed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): The spirit of what I'm preaching all the time was contradicted and I got to own that, and so I want to apologize to you because I need to preach and practice, not just preach.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Yes, exactly. Joining me now to discuss, CNN Political Reporter Rebecca Buck. Rebecca, it's not just Democrats that have been caught in this situation, the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, good example. He hosted his daughter's wedding this, spring relatively large gathering, in clear violation of caps on social get- togethers. These officials know the spotlight is on them. They know they're going to be scrutinized for just about every action they take. How does this still happen?
REBECCA BUCK, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: That's a great question, Boris, how does it keep happening. I don't have a good answer to that. But I do know obviously the optics are bad, from a political perspective, it looks bad. But even more important than that, it is a public health issue. Because when you're a public official trying to deal with a crisis on this scale, on the scale of a pandemic, the most important tool that you have in your tool belt is going to be your credibility with the public, your ability to speak and have people listen to you and take seriously what you say.
And every time a public official goes out and does something like this, flouting their own rules and regulations and suggestions for the public, they're chipping away at their credibility, so that the next time they say, we're putting these rules in place, I need you to do this, I need you to stay home, people are going to say, well, why, you haven't been doing the same thing. You can't have two sets of rules, you are following one set and us following another.
And at the same time, this has become such a political issue, tragically, something that should have just been a very cut and dry public health issue, but when public officials do these sorts of things, act by a different set of rules, they feed into some of these critics who have said, well, why are we making these sacrifices, we're going overboard, they just sort of confirm critics when they do these things.
[11:55:06]
SANCHEZ: Yes, it hurts their credibility and it also hurts the general public as well. Rebecca Buck, I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks so much for sharing a piece of it with us.
BUCK: You too, Boris, thanks. SANCHEZ: Thanks.
Some liberal backlash against one of Joe Biden's potential cabinet picks, including CIA director, we'll chat about that.
Plus, speaking of secrets, what will Biden find in the president's secret server and what is he going to do with that sensitive information?
Plus, new study reveals whether any of the thousands of different COVID mutations could transmit the virus any easier.
Don't go anywhere. We'll be back after a quick break.
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