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Minneapolis Family of 7 Devastated by COVID Spreads Awareness; Trump to Campaign for Georgia GOP Senators Ahead of Runoff While Falsely Claiming Election System Riddled with Fraud; Rescheduled Ravens/Pittsburgh Matchup in Jeopardy after Ravens Players Test Positive; NFL Changes Rules to Try To Stop Coronavirus Cases Among Players, Coaches. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired November 27, 2020 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[14:31:40]
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: One Minnesota family devastated by coronavirus is thankful to be alive this holiday season. They are on a mission to spread awareness of the dangerous of COVID-19 by sharing their story with our own Adrienne Broaddus.
She is with me now.
Adrienne, you talked to this family. Tell me their story.
ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Resilient. That's how I would describe the Johnson-Nixon family after COVID interrupted their lives.
But the hurt caused by the virus has led them to help.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROADDUS (voice over): When Charles and Kirstin Johnson-Nixon pledged for better or worse, the Minneapolis couple didn't know where life would lead.
CHARLES JOHNSON-NIXON, RECOVERED FROM CORONAVIRUS: COVID.
BROADDUS: And they had no idea the coronavirus --
KIRSTIN JOHNSON-NIXON, RECOVERED FROM CORONAVIRUS: I've had pneumonia before. I didn't feel what I felt with COVID.
BROADDUS: -- would write life's most painful chapter.
CHARLES JOHNSON-NIXON: My father-in-law tested positive and was hospitalized. My mother-in-law tested positive and was hospitalized. My wife and I tested positive.
K. JOHNSON-NIXON: I'm a black woman. I am -- I'm overweight. I have some underlying issues. But I thought: How could this happen, you know, to us? We are doing all the right things.
BROADDUS: The virus attacked everyone in their family, including the couple's three boys.
And while recovering, this family received a call they hoped would never happen.
K. JOHNSON-NIXON: I felt hopeless.
BROADDUS: At this hospital, Kirstin's father, William, was placed on a ventilator.
CALEB JOHNSON-NIXON, RECOVERED FROM CORONAVIRUS: My grandpa was in the hospital for 50 days and the doctor just kept saying that, when a person over the age of 80 years old went on a ventilator, they usually didn't come off.
BROADDUS: According to the COVID Tracking Project, black people in the U.S. are dying at more than double the rate of white people.
Native Americans and Latinos are also dying at significantly higher rates than whites and Asian-Americans.
Charles feared he wouldn't be around to watch his kids grow up or see them play another lacrosse game.
CHARLES JOHNSON-NIXON: That, for me, was my biggest fear. You know, I'm a -- I lost my father when I was young. And one of my goals when I became a father was to make sure that I was going to be here for my kids.
And -- and the idea that this thing could turn on me and take me away from them was the hardest thing to deal with.
God kept me here for my boys and got me through this.
BROADDUS: So in this season of Thanksgiving --
CHARLES JOHNSON-NIXON: We can cut the apples when we get home.
BROADDUS: -- the Johnson-Nixon family overflows with gratitude.
CHARLES JOHNSON-NIXON: We're alive.
K. JOHNSON-NIXON: I'm also thankful that my parents are alive.
BROADDUS: Six months have passed since Kirstin wrapped her arms --
K. JOHNSON-NIXON: It's hard not to hug him.
BROADDUS: -- around her father.
K. JOHNSON-NIXON: Or to kiss him.
BROADDUS: He still needs oxygen.
K. JOHNSON-NIXON: I'm glad I still get to, you know, hug and kiss these guys, so.
BROADDUS: Charles and Kirstin say, for better or worse, their work isn't done.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The cough, loss of appetite.
BROADDUS: They're speaking on panels and vowed to educate the hardest- hit communities about a virus that changed their lives.
K. JOHNSON-NIXON: It's important to wear your mask, to wash your hands.
[14:35:02]
CHARLES JOHNSON-NIXON: It makes you want to yell out and be on a mission to bring awareness to people and say, hey, we have to take this serious because we're already dealing with all the other problems that we have to deal with, with being black in this country.
So 2020 will be gone soon, thank God.
(LAUGHTER)
CHARLES JOHNSON-NIXON: And 2021 hopefully will give everyone an opportunity to rethink how they do things, change how they do things, if they need to.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROADDUS: As they look toward the future, Charles said he's concerned about what will happen in the country over the next three weeks after so many traveled this Thanksgiving holiday.
A visit to the doctor earlier this month revealed Kirstin is still dealing with some linger side effects. She says her doctor believes she may have microscopic blood clots in her lungs causing congestion.
Despite the dark days that they have endured, when family adds up all of their blessings, they say they have more than think can count -- Brooke?
BALDWIN: I know firsthand of some of the difficulties of this nasty virus. We've talked from the beginning of the pandemic about how this disproportionately affecting communities of color.
Thank you for introducing us to this family. And I think them for speaking up.
Adrienne, appreciate you.
President Trump is now trying to rally support for the Republicans in Georgia's Senate runoff election and falsely claiming that Georgia's election system is riddled with fraud.
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[14:40:38]
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are looking at things that are so bad in Georgia.
It's a very close race. It's hair thin.
And look at what's happening in Georgia.
Speaking of Georgia, I'll be going there. You go down the streets, there are Trump/Pence signs all over the place. And we won that by hundreds of thousands, Georgia.
And we will get Georgia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: President Trump there continues to claim without evidence that Georgia's election was fraudulently stolen from him. And now he's baselessly casting doubt on the legitimacy of the upcoming Senate runoffs in that state where two Republicans are in tight battles to hold on to their Senate seats.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, if you don't think that the presidential election was legitimate, that you think that it was stolen, what confidence do you expect for those in Georgia to have when they go to the polls to vote for Senators Loeffler or Perdue?
TRUMP: Well, I told them today, I think you're dealing in a very fraudulent system. I think -- I'm very worried about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: That's a key question.
Today, the president has tweeted this: "We just go out and help David and Kelly, two great people, otherwise we're playing right into the hands of some very sick people."
For more, let's go straight to Atlanta to Ryan Nobles.
Ryan, as we pointed out, this president has baselessly claimed fraud in Georgia, a state that he lost. And now he's tweeting, all right, go out and vote.
Do these Republican campaigns view the president's presence and message in Georgia as helpful or not?
RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's really a mixed bag was these candidates, Brooke, because you need the president's supporters to remain engaged in this process.
And even though he's not necessarily being truthful about the way this election was conducted, it is keeping his supporters engaged. They are paying attention to the political process here.
The Republicans I've talked to, are worried that only helps to a certain point. If the president continues with this, if he continues to cast aspersions on this electoral process, that may keep some Republicans from voting.
In fact, I was at an event for David Perdue a couple of days ago and I talked to a voter afterwards. And I asked if he had confidence in the electoral process. And he said, only if everybody votes in person on election day.
Those aren't the rules here in Georgia. In fact, early voting begins as early as December 14th. And people will able, once again, to mail in their ballots.
And also we should point out, there's no evidence that any of that has led to any sort of widespread fraud.
In fact, this election was run by Republicans. Republicans that support President Trump. And the outcome is what the outcome is.
So, Brooke, it is a very fine line that these Republican candidates have to walk. Because they can't, in any way, show that they're not with President Trump in this ill-fated effort to overturn the results of a properly held election. But at the same time, they need these folks to come out.
They also have to sell this message that this is really about the control of the Senate majority in a Biden administration. And it could be the Republicans' last bastion of power in Washington.
And that really needs to be the focus and the message for these Republican candidates. But unfortunately, President Trump is distracting from that.
BALDWIN: Yes, this decides it.
Ryan Nobles, we'll be talking to you there in Georgia. Thank you so much.
[13:43:43]
The rescheduled matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers now in jeopardy of being postponed again, after even more players test positive for COVID. We have that for you next.
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[14:48:19]
BALDWIN: The Denver Broncos just the latest NFL team to shut down its practice facility because of positive cases of COVID.
They are still expected to play Sunday but the NFL may be forced to further postpone or even cancel Sunday's game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers because of more positive cases on the Ravens' side, including star quarterback, Lamar Jackson.
Carolyn Manno is with me now.
Carolyn, we know the Ravens -- you talked about this yesterday -- they already postponed their game with the Steelers originally scheduled last night to Sunday. What happens now?
CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a number of different factors.
Good afternoon, Brooke.
The league could decide to push forward and keep this game on Sunday. Moving the scheduling around is something we haven't seen for a couple weeks, and it certainly isn't an ideal scenario for the league.
Given the fact that the Raven's practice facilities are closed until Monday at the earliest.
And also the fact that multiple reports from NFL.com and ESPN are citing that Thursday was the fifth consecutive day that we saw positive COVID-19 results come back within the Ravens organization.
You could easily surmise that that might not be an option at this point just because that window of vulnerability is likely still raging and they wouldn't want to put other players at risk, especially with how fast this virus can spread from team to team.
They could potentially add another week to the regular season, if that makes sense. Both the Ravens and the Steelers already used their bi- week.
The Ravens expected, in theory, to host the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday. So we could see a week 18 that would feature that game on the schedule.
Or they could make the decision to cancel this game and then that would open up additional hypotheticals such as what happens in the post-season. Is there a scenario where we could see an expanded playoff format if that's something that makes sense?
[14:50:07]
The Steelers are frustrated. They've expressed as much on social media. Everybody is frustrated with the situation. But safety has to be the first priority.
What we do know, without speculating too much, is that this is really arguably the most-high profile NFL player to date to contract this virus.
And that Robert Griffin, back-up quarterback in Baltimore, would be the guy who would start these games and step in for Lamar Jackson if they could figure out a way to do this safely and move forward.
But if you look at what Robert Griffin III tweeted, he also is raising the question I think a lot of other players are raising, which is that, you know, how safe is this, how safe is this for the players, that you have to make everyone's health and safety a priority.
And the other thing I would add to this, too, Brooke, is that if this game does end up getting canceled, if players are missing paychecks, I would expect that the NFL would investigate further this scenario involving the Baltimore Ravens staff member who was disciplined by the team, according to the team, for stepping around protocols and not falling in line with some of these contracted positive results.
So I would look out for that as well. And then potentially a fine there could be lent towards helping offset some of the Steelers' financial costs.
BALDWIN: Back on the tweet, the last line there, "This outbreak is bigger than football."
Carolyn Manno, thank you for all of the updates there.
I want to stay on sports. This week, the NFL changed their rules to try and head off the increase in players -- cases, rather, among players and coaches.
They are now making players who stand on the sidelines wear masks.
So let's bring in Christine Brennan. She is CNN sports analyst and sports columnist for "USA Today."
Christine, happy day after Thanksgiving. Thank you for hanging with me today.
What do you think of how the NFL has handled COVID so far?
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: I think they've done an OK job, considering.
The fact that they're playing football in the midst of a pandemic, Brooke, as Carolyn was describing, look at the way they're twisting themselves in a pretzel just trying to figure out a way to pull this off.
It was back in June, June 18th, actually, that Dr. Anthony Fauci, Brooke, said, if you want to play football this fall, you're probably going to have to have them it in a bubble.
Dr. Fauci has been right about a lot of things. He was right about that.
Here we are seeing evidence of it, especially as the second wave, this horrible time, this -- obviously, the difficulties with COVID around the nation, and Thanksgiving now into the holidays, Christmas, New year's.
And we're seeing how difficult it is for sports to co-exist in our society at this time, as much as we want the escape, as much as we want to have the fun of watching sports. My goodness, what a difficult thing this is.
And as you know, I've been very critical of sports playing at this time, as much as I love sports.
I think it's a real question and it continues to be a question about how much it's serving fans versus hurting communities.
BALDWIN: Totally. We saw how well the bubble worked, but that's impractical with some of these sports, I realize.
College basketball is another one. They're starting up. And they're already having to cancel games because of positive COVID cases.
You have schools, like Temple and Butler, they have totally shut down their programs because of positive tests there.
Do you think they should even be trying to play?
BRENNAN: UConn women's basketball, they're shut down right now. It's men's and women's hoops.
And I know you care very much about basketball --
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BALDWIN: Go, Heels. Yes.
BRENNAN: And Rick Pitino, legendary coach, said it would be a nightmare to try to play. He said that a few weeks ago. And he's right. Just as Dr. Fauci was right.
Again, I'm not saying we shouldn't maybe try.
BALDWIN: I know.
BRENNAN: But in the case of college hoops, these are 18 to 22 to 23- year-old young people that are not being paid.
It's very different for professional sports where they get the opportunity to make that decision if they want to play or not.
Obviously, these kids can opt out if they want to, but with a scholarship on the line, there's a lot of pressure to keep playing.
And that's where the adults in the room, Brooke, have to come forward and say this just isn't the right time to be trying to play an indoor sport like basketball during, again, the middle of a global pandemic.
BALDWIN: Yes.
Quickly, Nick Saban, legendary football coach down in Alabama, has seen it all. His team had a game cancelled earlier this year. Last week, they played with a Kentucky team that was missing some of its best players.
Now he's tested positive for COVID a second time. He had said, quote, I want to play for the players' sake, the value they can create for themselves."
Again, it's a similar with questioning, right? Is it about the players or is it about making money?
BRENNAN: Oh, it's about the money. It's about the money. The charade is over.
The idea that you're going to ride these 18 to 22-year-olds for money, that's what's happening in these college football programs and men's basketball in particular.
Nick Saban is 69 years old. He's in great shape. Let's hope he's going to be fine. But I think it's another example of how difficult this is.
[14:55:02]
I understand his point of view. But that's where, again, university presidents and others -- and, of course, mayors, governors can help make these decisions, Brooke, and just say, hey, we're not doing this or we're going to have to stop right now because it's gone on too far.
BALDWIN: Christine, thank you for all of that. Great to see you.
BRENNAN: Great to see you. Thank you.
BALDWIN: Let's get you back to our breaking news. Another blow to President Trump's failing effort to prove voter fraud. An appeals court ruling the campaign's claims in Pennsylvania, quote, "have no merit."
We'll be right back.
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