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Pope Criticizes Those Who Protest COVID Restrictions; Trump To Campaign In GA For GOP Senators Ahead Of Runoffs; Food Banks Overwhelmed As Pandemic Hunger Surges In U.S. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired November 27, 2020 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:30:00]

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: That's a facility military planners say would require repeated airstrikes getting past Iranian air defenses, a possibly setting off a wider conflict. And one of the big concerns that Iranian retaliation. The U.S. calculates that Iran has some 3,000 ballistic missiles. It could launch in retaliation, U.S. sites and U.S. interests across the Middle East. Boris?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Yes, certainly no, no small task. Barbara Starr, thank you so much for that.

STARR: Sure.

SANCHEZ: I want you to listen to this quote, quote, there are moments in life that can be ripe for change. That's a message from Pope Francis in a new New York Times op-ed, arguing that the coronavirus pandemic is an opportunity to change the inequities exposed by the crisis. The Pope also making clear in this piece that he's on the side of science, and supports health guidelines to stop the spread.

He had this to say about those who do not, quote, some groups protested, refusing to keep their distance marching against travel restrictions, as if measures that governments must impose for the good of their people constitute some kind of political assault on autonomy or personal freedom.

Joining me now is CNN religion commentator, Father Edward Beck. Father Beck, thanks so much for spending time with us. Pope Francis, not mincing words here, were you surprised to see him give such a forceful rebuke of those protesting COVID restrictions?

FATHER EDWARD BECK, CNN RELIGION COMMENTATOR: I was surprised by two things in the op-ed, Boris. The first thing was how personal it was. He talks about being very sick when he was in his early 20s, that he had a lung infection caused by a type of flu, and that he was in the hospital.

And that the healthcare workers, especially two nurses, one gave them more antibiotic than the doctor told her to because she knew he needed it. And the other gave him more pain meds than she was supposed to. And he believes both saved his life. And then he goes on to talk about health care workers in the midst of this pandemic, how important they've done and the care that they have for people and that they've saved lives. And then what you're alluding to, he goes on to say, look, government has imposed certain restrictions for the common good. And the common good is more than just individual goods, add it up. It really is for everyone.

And so he's really very hard on people who say personal freedom, I don't have to wear a mask or I don't have to socially distance. He said, no, it's about the common good, not your good.

SANCHEZ: Yes, this brings us to that Supreme Court decision, that five-four decision to strike down a New York State order limiting the size of religious gatherings in areas where cases were climbing. The bishop in Brooklyn who brought the case, he's declaring victory, as the Governor Andrew Cuomo claims that this whole thing is moot, that restrictions were no longer in place when the decision was delivered.

Generally, though, I wonder what you think the church's obligation is here to public health or to congregants who want to gather?

BECK: Well, both. And I think the Supreme Court decision honors that, basically, the Supreme Court decision said you can't discriminate against religious institutions, you're letting restaurants have 50 percent capacity. You have pet stores being deemed an essential service. And you're saying religious institutions are not. You can't have a big Cathedral and say you can only have 10 or 20 people in that Cathedral.

You can socially distance. You can keep all of the precautions. It should be 40 percent capacity, 50 percent capacity, whatever you're doing for the other institution. So the Supreme Court simply said, you can't discriminate because it's religious institution. Now I said mass this morning, Boris, and I can tell you, that was a safe gathering. Everyone wears masks, everyone sits socially distance. People come up for communion with masks. I sanitize, before giving them communion.

It's certainly more sanitary and safer than a restaurant or a pet store. So I think the Supreme Court got this right. And I think they overreached, the governor did by saying because there were a few examples, mainly in the Orthodox Jewish community that we saw, where they were red zones and orange zones, and he said, OK, we're going to shut this down. And therefore, everyone was penalized.

And I think the Bishop of Brooklyn said no, others agreed with him. And therefore now it's going to have to be treated -- they're going to have to be treated like everybody else.

SANCHEZ: All right, Father, Edward Beck, we'll let you get back to some leftovers. Thanks so much for the time, Sir.

BECK: Thanks. Happy Thanksgiving, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Same to you. Thanks.

[12:34:47]

President Trump says he will be back out campaigning soon to support Republican candidates in crucial Senate runoffs, the impact his involvement could have on the country's balance of power. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: The election is not quite over in Georgia. Two critical senate runoff races will determine the balance of power in Washington, and it has tremendous implications for the first two years of President-elect Joe Biden's administration. President Trump says he will campaign for Republican incumbents Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue. Both are fighting to maintain their party's majority in the Senate.

But the President's announcement followed a Thanksgiving video call with U.S. service members in which he railed baselessly against the integrity of Georgia's election results. CNN's Ryan Nobles joins us now from Atlanta. Ryan, I mentioned there has to be some concern among Republicans that Trump's claims of fraud might actually dissuade voters from going to the polls.

[12:40:12]

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's really a mixed bag for Republicans here in Georgia, Boris, because, you know, President Trump remaining in the news and firing up his base is a good thing for Republican voters here. They want Trump supporters in particular, to stay engaged and have a piece of this runoff that's happening in January. But you're right.

The Republicans I've talked to say that this comes up to a limit. And there is some concern that if the President continues to cast aspersions on the voting process here and suggest that fraud is rampant, and that they shouldn't be able to trust a voting system here, that some Trump supporters might just decide not to participate at all.

Now, they are heartened by the fact that the President now seems to be focusing on this runoff. He'd really not talked about it at all after his election loss in November. But now he is coming here next Saturday. He's also tweeted more about it and talk more about the importance of Republicans to get out to the polls in January. But Boris, it is very clear that if Trump supporters don't come out and support David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, the two incumbents here, it's going to be very difficult for Republicans to win. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Yes. I find it incredibly bizarre that at least one ally to the President is out there saying that the election was rigged and that voters in Georgia should write in Trump's name on the ballot in protest. It's strange. I do want to ask you about this report in "The New York Times" the Justice Department, apparently opening a probe into Senator David Perdue's stock sales for possible insider trading earlier this year. They declined to pursue charges though. What more are you learning? NOBLES: Yes, so this stock situation is something that's both, dog both David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. Both of them were part of a group of senators that were accused of making well play stock trades around the time that they were learning about the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic. But there is this one stock trade in particular from a company that Perdue formally sat on the board of directors by and there was some communication between Perdue and the leaders of this company around the time that he made these stock transactions.

That's what led to the Justice Department looking into it. Now the Justice Department looked at this information, decided that there wasn't enough there to move forward. The Perdue campaign is arguing that that means that he's been cleared of any wrongdoing and that his stock trades were all in line with what is legal and proper. Of course, Democrats including his opponent, Jon Ossoff, see it very differently. They believe that Perdue is taking advantage of the information that he's gleaned as the United States Senator to make more and more money.

Of course, Perdue already a millionaire, Ossoff has gone as far as to call Perdue a crook. It is a big issue in this campaign and one that we're expecting to hear a lot more of between now and January 5th.

SANCHEZ: Hey, I hadn't gotten a chance to say Happy Thanksgiving Ryan to you and your family. Hope you're all well and healthy and I hope we get to hang out again sometime soon. Ryan Nobles reporting from Atlanta. Thanks so much.

The hunger crisis in America more apparent than ever this Thanksgiving holiday, we'll talk to a school teacher who found a way to get food to some of the millions of students and children in need.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:47:39]

SANCHEZ: This pandemic has further exposed some of the cracks in our society. The United States is the richest country in the world, yet many Americans are struggling to make ends meet and they and their children are going hungry. Their plight has not been lost on Sandra Ramirez. She's an elementary school teacher in Chicago who has spearheaded the effort to deliver thousands of boxes of food to her students and their families.

Sandra Ramirez joins me now. Sandra, thanks so much for joining us. What you're doing is incredible. And it all began, when you started checking in on your students at the beginning of the pandemic. What did you pick up on in those conversations that inspired you to do this?

SANDRA RAMIREZ, CHICAGO TEACHER DELIVERING MEALS TO STUDENTS: Yes, they were, well, first of all, thank you for having me, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

RAMIREZ: I originally started -- some teachers were reaching out to me because they were saying, well, you know, these students are, you know, they're not attending class. So I would reach out to the parents, and I would -- they would, the stories I was hearing were so tragic. There were deaths in the family and people were losing their jobs. People weren't paid. They weren't able to pay for internet. And I think that's kind of what started that it hit me. It hit me where, you know, where I knew people needed help.

SANCHEZ: Yes, you know, when teachers reached out to my parents when I was growing up, it was never for something like this. How do your students react when you show up at their door?

RAMIREZ: So, well, they seemed shocked because when I did go to the wellbeing checks, they were shocked but also happy because they hadn't seen the teachers, you know, that when it started in March, they hadn't seen us for a few weeks.

And they were, you know, that would tell the families, I'm going to check up on you, the kid would look out the window, they would wave. I could see their excitement in their eyes. It was wonderful. And then we started asking, the distribution started being at the school, so the parents would come to the school.

SANCHEZ: Now, you work with a group of volunteers called the Moo Crew. I'm curious, I'm curious about the name first of all, and your mission in the city of Chicago.

RAMIREZ: So, the Moo Crew started because we were asked -- World Vision reached out to me and they said, you know, would you be interested in picking up some food. And I drive a small, you know, small SUV. So I asked for help, for volunteers. And the school community at Peck, well, have so many volunteers. So these three particular volunteers, thank him (ph), they volunteered to go with me to pick up gallons of milk.

[12:50:26]

And the first time I was -- it has been close to 400 gallons of milk. And somebody just said it one day like, oh, you guys have like the Moo Crew because you have the gallons of milk, and that's kind of what the way that, I mean, it just stuck. So when people would share it, they say, oh, the Moo Crew is on, you know, on by Peck school, go pick up milk or go pick up food. So that's where the name came from, from the gallons of milk.

SANCHEZ: That's wonderful. Sandra, as I said before, the pandemic has exposed some of the inequities in our society, but it's also showcased and highlighted the excellent work of so many of our heroes, and I commend you and thank you for what you're doing. Sandra Ramirez, thanks so much.

RAMIREZ: Thank you. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

President Trump is back on the golf course today after touting his action on vaccines and lashing out at reporters. Meanwhile, the U.S. approaches 13 million coronavirus cases. CNN special coverage continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:55:28]

SANCHEZ: Two worlds one of promise and one of punishment coming together for an unlikely experiment. On this Sunday season premiere of This is Life with Lisa Ling. Lisa brings us a unique look at a prison and prep school that formed an unlikely bond over literature. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA LING, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: How are you guys, doing?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little nervous. We're inside.

LING (voice-over): Guiding Hudson and the other students through security gates is the boys English and theology teacher, Jim Nicoletti.

(on camera): Do you talk much about what the boys are about to embark on before they go in?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's tricky because you don't want to give away too much, we want to be surprised, we want to be a healthy shock. Geography matters, getting kids out in the community matters. I'm always telling students don't let school get in the way of your education, a lot of good stuff to see out there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Joining us now is the host of This is Life, Lisa Ling. Lisa, I'm a big fan of the show. Glad that you are spending some time with us today. And I noticed that you're kicking off this season with back to back episodes, the first one focuses on prep school students and prisoners. And the second one focuses on an intense retreat for boys that are in crisis. It strikes me that you're starting off the season focused on young men. Why?

LING: Well, Boris, first of all, thanks for having me on. I'm a fan of yours as well.

SANCHEZ: Oh, you're too kind.

LING: You know, we weren't -- well, we weren't intending on airing these two episodes back to back. But in many ways they do go together. You know, we are living in a culture where we tell men constantly to man up or don't cry or don't show emotion.

And in some ways, both of these episodes sort of tackle that idea and really conveyed the importance of giving boys and young men permission to feel in the prison episode, you know, I think the ultimate consequence for young men of not being able to deal with trauma that they experienced as a child is a life of possible crime. Because that those feelings can be manifested in very negative ways. And so this program, I think, really does a lot to encourage young men to do the opposite.

SANCHEZ: Yes. And tell us more about this specific episode. You're bringing together a prep school students and prisoners at a state correctional facility. How does that even work? What are some of the goals they have?

LING: Well, it's an eight week elective course at the Palmer School, which is an elite all boys Catholic school, and they go in and they read literature with the incarcerated men. And you would think that the inmates would be the biggest beneficiaries. But what was really amazing to me was watching the incarcerated men talk so candidly about their crimes and their remorse and identifying trauma that they experienced as young men.

And because of that candor, that allowed these prep school boys to really dig deep within themselves. And they ended up sharing things that I don't think that they've shared with maybe their family members or their close friends.

SANCHEZ: Yes. And just that ability to express those pent up feelings is healing in a lot of ways. What do they share with you?

LING: So many things, Boris. I mean, I overheard some of the boys talk about how, you know, they had friends who talked in front of the group, and they said, you know, I've known this kid since I was a little boy and I never knew this about him because, again, the prep school kids were just given this permission.

And the reason why I felt like I had to tell this story was some of the inmates after going through this program, after reading a novel called Through the Valley of the Kwai, they decided to start a scholarship for a young man to attend the Palmer school.

So a young man graduated last year from this prestigious public -- private school, and his education was entirely paid for by some inmates at CTF prison in Soledad, California. It's a remarkable story.

SANCHEZ: That is incredible. I look forward to watching it. Lisa Ling, thank you so much.

LING: Thanks Boris.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Do not forget to watch the season premiere of This is Life, back to back episodes starting Sunday night at 9:00 Eastern right here, only on CNN. Our special coverage continues right now with Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for joining me today.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Boris thanks so much.

[13:00:00]

Hi there, and thank you so much for being with me on this Friday. I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN. We begin with the 17th day the U.S. has broken a record for COVID hospitalizations.