Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Mayor Sylvester Turner (D-Houston) Discusses Rising COVID Cases, Intersection of COVID, Health Care Disparities, Food Insecurity; Iran State Media: Top Nuclear Scientist Assassinated Outside Tehran; James Woodworth, Commissioner, National Center for Education Statistics, Discusses Standardized Tests Delayed as Online Learning Concerns Mount; ICU Nurse Pleads with Community to Stop Spread of COVID. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired November 27, 2020 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER (D-HOUSTON-TX): There were thousands of people that came in their vehicles and in their trucks. And then there were thousands that walked up.

But let me tell you what got to me most. We were handing out turkeys, hams, and food supplies for people to take home.

But for those individuals walking up, many of them turned down the turkeys because they did not have the facilities to prepare, to bake the turkeys.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Wow.

TURNER: We are going to do this again Christmas eve.

What we are going to do this time is we're going to partner with a number of restaurants in the city of Houston. Many of our restaurants, through our federal CARES dollars, are preparing 30,000 hot meals a week.

We're going to partner with the super feast, Bishop Woodard, have them prepare hot meals and then individually package them so individuals that come, walk up, they can have the hot meals and go and eat them wherever they are going.

But That was the most --

BALDWIN: Heart wrenching.

TURNER: -- gut wrenching yesterday when people were walking up and were saying, Mayor, we can't do anything with the turkey. We don't have the facilities.

BALDWIN: Wow. Mayor Turner, when you see that, that tells me maybe folks were evicted, they don't have a kitchen -- TURNER: Right.

BALDWIN: -- or they don't have the means to cook the darn turkey.

When you look at Washington and look at the lack of movement that has happened with regard to the stimulus plan, I mean, people --

(CROSSTALK)

TURNER: It is unconscionable.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

Can you please.

It is unconscionable.

BALDWIN: Go ahead.

TURNER: It is unconscionable. These are families who are hurting. They didn't ask to be put in this situation. They didn't ask for the pandemic.

They are not looking for a handout. What they're asking is for assistance to bridge them from this moment in time until such time things get better.

For the federal government not to be moving yesterday, not even today, but not to be moving quickly to respond to people's needs is simply unconscionable.

When you are in these lines -- I would encourage every elected official, every person in Congress, every person in the Senate, people in the administration, to be on the front line and to be in these lines, to listen to these stories, to see where people are stepping up, not because they want to.

There were people in those lines and driving up who were embarrassed to be in those lines. What we said to them, there's no reason to be embarrassed, there's no need.

But then for them to be in line and then to say no to the turkeys.

You can have massive food distributions, but what we often times forget is that there are thousands of individuals who do not have the facilities, they're not in their homes, don't have an oven or stove or kitchen to prepare these meals.

So we are going to have to make some modifications for our next massive food distribution to take into account people who -- you can provide them with supplies but they just don't have the means.

BALDWIN: This is where we are in America in 2020.

Mayor Turner, thank you for your candor and your words and your care. Appreciate you. TURNER: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Let's talk again about what you're doing around Christmas time.

TURNER: Thank you so much.

BALDWIN: You got it.

Wow.

[13:33:28]

Iran, meantime, confirming one of its top nuclear scientists has been assassinated. What the United States is saying about the deadly attack, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:38:26]

BALDWIN: State-run TV in Iran is reporting that a top Iranian nuclear scientist was assassinated today just outside of Tehran. The Iranian Defense Ministry also says members of the security team were injured in the attack.

CNN Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, is with me.

Barbara, this scientist was considered to be the mastermind of Iran's entire nuclear program. What is the U.S. saying?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: He had been involved in it for years, according to Western intelligence agencies.

Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of Israel, of course, had even called him out publicly as being someone at the center of Iran's nuclear program.

Today, when this happened, we've heard nothing from either the Israelis or the Trump administration because the matter is so sensitive now.

Nobody is speaking out other than the Iranians who claim the Israelis did it. We simply do not know.

What we do know is that both Israel and the Trump administration are keeping a sharp eye on Iran's nuclear program.

As the days of the Trump administration wind down, one of the key questions is whether Netanyahu had essentially some piece of business he wanted to finish with Iran while Trump was still in office.

That's something to consider because the Biden administration is thought to be open to the notion of resuming some kind of nuclear discussion with Iran.

Right now, the question is what may come next. Concern about Iran retaliating against Israel. The U.S. concerned that President Trump may want to launch some strike against Iran before he leaves office.

[13:40:10]

Here at the Pentagon, the view is watching it carefully. But unless they see direct provocation by Iran, a direct military provocation, if you will, the military view, expressed publicly by head of Central Command, for now, they think deterrence is working.

They think economic and diplomatic pressure against Iran is making that regime understand that the U.S. is ready, will counter if they have to, but does not look for war with Iran.

And that's the message that the Pentagon still really wants to send -- Brooke?

BALDWIN: Got it.

Barbara, thank you so much.

STARR: Sure.

BALDWIN: I want to pivot now to some breaking news we're getting in this is Friday afternoon, just into us. An appeals court unanimously rejecting a Trump campaign legal challenge in Pennsylvania.

The opinion is authored by a Trump appointee, Circuit Judge Stephanos Bibas, and it is cut and dry, unsparing.

Quote, "Calling an election unfair does not make it so. Charges require specific allegations and then proof. We have neither here."

So let's go to CNN's Jessica Schneider, live with this one.

Yet another loss for this president.

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: This is yet another take down, wholeheartedly, Brooke, from a federal court. This, you mentioned, a Trump appointee, one of the judges on Circuit Court for Third circuit.

This is a case that the Trump legal team said they will continue to take not only to third circuit, which rejected their claim, but they have vowed to take it all the way to the Supreme Court. But, so far, their track record is abysmal.

To take you back, this is the case that Rudy Giuliani argued in court just about two weeks ago, and that shortly thereafter, claims were completely rejected by a federal judge out of Pennsylvania. He took the Trump campaign, all their arguments out, line by line.

Now the third circuit out of Philadelphia is doing the same as to this case.

You read part of this decision. But let me read another part for you because it really sums it up here. This court saying, "The campaign's claims have no merit. The number of

ballots it specifically challenges is far smaller than the roughly 81,000 vote margin of victory. And it never claims fraud or that any votes were cast by illegal voters."

That's been the big problem, Brooke, is that the Trump campaign, their legal team have repeatedly filed lawsuits all over the country, but most specifically in Pennsylvania, as one of the key battleground states.

They have continually alleged all kinds of wild allegations of fraud. But the problem is that these judges repeatedly pointed out, there's never any evidence to back up claims.

That's what the lower court, the district court said in this case, and now the circuit court.

The federal appellate court in Pennsylvania saying, look, Trump campaign, you haven't backed up any of your wild speculation with any real evidence here.

So the Trump campaign yet again taken down by federal court.

Really, we have been talking about it over the past week, all these states have been moving forward to certify. Pretty much it is all buttoned up.

But the Trump campaign continues to fight. And this is another example of where they're not successful and being taken down by one of the president's own nominees to the federal circuit -- Brooke?

BALDWIN: It is a trend. They continue to lose these fights. "They" being Team Trump.

Jessica Schneider, thank you for that update out of Pennsylvania.

[13:43:45]

The pandemic just delivered another big blow to education. National standardized tests are pushed back to the year 2022. Why that may be a problem for your children, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:48:22]

BALDWIN: As COVID continues to spread, standardized testing, which has long been used to gage students' educational development, has been pushed from next year to 2022.

These tests are always important. But as evidence mounts nationwide, the students are suffering major setbacks from online learning, they're even more crucial.

James Woodworth is the commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, which administers the standardized testing. James, good to have you on. Welcome.

JAMES WOODWORTH, COMMISSIONER, NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: For people who are not familiar with all of the acronyms, explain which standardized testing you are pushing back and what grades of young people this affects and why you're doing this.

WOODWORTH: Of course, Brooke. So the -- also known as the National Association of Educational Progress, is an assessment we've been giving since 1969 within the Department of Education.

We use a representative sample across the country of fourth grade and eighth graders in reading and math every two years, is the current requirement.

Unfortunately, with COVID going on, we have been reaching out to schools that were part of the sample. Based on their attendance patterns, a lot of them are in hybrid or distance-only mode.

And also looking at the number of COVID cases around the schools, we feel it is not possible for us to conduct in spring, 2021, when it was scheduled and do it so in a manner to have a representative sample across the country and also that will have sufficiently valid and reliable results.

We feel like delaying by one year, to 2022, will allow things to settle more, and actually allow us to get data quicker.

Because if we aren't able -- try to do the data for 2021, and aren't able to get good data, then the next time we would be able to do it will be 2023.

(CROSSTALK)

[13:50:04]

WOODWORTH: So by delaying a year, we'll get numbers a year earlier than we would otherwise.

BALDWIN: But if -- I'm sure the students may or may not miss taking these tests. But there is an issue here.

If there's no standardized testing, how will teachers, how will educators, how will parents know how far behind these kids get because of this pandemic? How will that be measured.

WOODWORTH: Right. So NAEP is one standardized test. It's the one that is managed and organized by the federal government to produce nationwide results and state-level tests.

But there are state-level tests. And the state-level tests, while we will have challenges, will not have the same challenges that NAEP has.

NAEP being a nationwide test that has to be given all across the country all in the same time window, that makes is very different. Because as we have seen with COVID, we have hot spots for COVID in different parts of the country at different times.

The states may still be able to work around their issue to still be able to do their state-levels test.

The other issue with NAEP is, in order to keep everything standardized across the country, we actually send test proctors into the schools.

Obviously, they're in a time of a circumstance around COVID, you don't really want people going from outside of the state and outside of an area going into the schools, as they may bring COVID with them or they may take COVID out of the school.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: That makes sense. You can do that.

And also, separately, on the national issue, that would be challenging.

But at least, for parents, it may allay any fears of not being measured, not having their kids be measured educationally. So those different version of tests on the state level will still be administered for them.

James Woodworth, thank you so much for coming on. I appreciate it.

WOODWORTH: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: You got it.

Coming up next, an ICU nurse and her Facebook posts gets shared by thousands and thousands of people after detailing the horrors of treating COVID patients. We will talk to her, live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:56:31]

BALDWIN: As new COVID hospitalizations continue to shatter records in this country, more than 90,000 Americans admitted just yesterday to the hospitals, we're seeing more and more hospital staff breaking their silence and pleading with their communities to take more personal responsibility.

My next guest is Carol Williams. Here's a photo of her. She's an ICU nurse in Aurora, Illinois.

She posted this photo on Facebook, along with a long poignant description of what it's like to take care of COVID patients.

So Carol is with me now.

Carol, thank you for all that you do. And welcome.

CAROL WILLIAMS, ICU NURSE, RUSH-COPLEY HOSPITAL: Thank you for having me.

BALDWIN: I ask, because it's way more powerful coming from you that from me, just a little bit of your post, would you read it for me right now?

WILLIAMS: Yes, I will.

Now please imagine being the COVID ICU patients, the breathlessness, pain, fear, loneliness, isolation, anxiety, hopelessness and sadness, the need to use all of your energy just to breathe, the true realization you may not get better and facing your own mortality."

"We do our best to calm fears, comfort, and connect while providing the best care we can in their most vulnerable moments."

BALDWIN: Tell me what was happening in your moment to post that and that photo, where you see the PPE marks still on your face.

WILLIAMS: Just in that moment of that picture is when you realize that some patients, no matter what you do, they are not going to make it through. So that's where I was in that moment.

BALDWIN: And how many moments like that have you had?

WILLIAMS: Myself and my co-workers, nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, we've countless moments of that.

BALDWIN: When I was reading your post, you wrote that when anyone who asking you how things are going, you give them your unfiltered COVID ICU nurse answer.

So let me ask you: How are you? How are things going?

WILLIAMS: That it's bad. That it's worse than the spring. That to see these patients come in alone, deteriorate to the point of needing an ICU, to just realize that they might not make it through, that's a heavy burden for them, as the patient, to face alone.

That's a heavy burden for health care workers across the country to try to help them through.

BALDWIN: You mentioned now is worse than the spring. And you know this better than any of us. You know, health officials are now warning, after Thanksgiving, we're about to see a surge on top of the surge.

You're already exhausted. How are you and your fellow nurses, respiratory therapists, staff, how are you preparing for this potential influx of patients this winter?

WILLIAMS: We are all coming together. Every day at the hospital, our hospital and across the country, we're all meeting and talking about how we're going to handle this, staffing-wise, patient-wise, where patients will go.

We really lean on each other. It's a family where we work.

[14:00:05]

BALDWIN: Thank goodness for your family.

Just last quick question. The Biden transition is happening. They have this entire COVID advisory board.