Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

NYC Mayor Backtracks, Some Schools to Reopen Next Week; Biden Names All Female Senior White House Communications Team; Ossoff Says Senator Perdue Lied About His Stock Trades; Biden And Harris Receive First Presidential Daily Brief Today. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired November 30, 2020 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Less than two weeks after making the controversial move to close New York City's public schools because of COVID, Mayor Bill de Blasio suddenly reversed himself announcing that one week from today, elementary schools in the nation's largest school district will begin to reopen in stages over time. Middle and high schools will remain closed.

And as the percentage of people who tested positive for COVID-19 in both New York state and New York City topped 4 percent, the mayor announced the city is abandoning its 3 percent positive test threshold for closing schools.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D) NEW YORK CITY: What happened was that that 3 percent standard after we had so much experience with the schools proved to be different than we thought it would be. And then we said, what can we do now to sustain our schools for the long haul, all the way to having the vaccine present? We decided we need a lot more testing and to make that in every school. That would be the difference maker. That was the new measure we needed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:35:00]

BALDWIN: Let's get some perspective on all of this from former Education Secretary Arne Duncan. He served in that post during the Obama administration. So, Secretary Duncan, welcome. And let me add, I'm glad you and your family have recovering -- or are recovering from your bouts with COVID. I feel you. Welcome.

ARNE DUNCAN, FORMER EDUCATION SECRETARY: Back at you. Thank you.

BALDWIN: Thank you. We've seen New York City's reversal. It shows how each school district in each state as we've talked about is handling school closures differently. It's certainly not a one-size-fits-all thing. Do you believe all schools should remain open or should this be evaluated at the local level on a case-by-case basis?

DUNCAN: This has to be done at the local level, Brooke, it's so complicated depending on where you are and how prevalent the virus is in your community. I've said repeatedly the schools aren't islands, they're not bubbles. The best way to keep schools safe is to beat down this virus in the broader communities. Across the country we haven't done a good job of that, in schools, and children have just really suffered.

I think you're going to see like New York, 15,000 school districts around the country, trying to open, closing back down again, trying to open, closing back down again. This is going to be just a highly disruptive and difficult school year probably all the way, you know, through the spring and maybe until the end of the school year in May and June.

BALDWIN: Here in New York City part of the partial reopening with elementary school kids includes weekly testing of students. Every single student and staff member has to consent to weekly random COVID testing. Can and should this be done on a nationwide level in schools?

DUNCAN: It absolutely should be done. And I would argue, honestly, once a week is better than less than that. But in a perfect world you'd be doing it two or three times a week. You know how quickly this creeps up on you and what you're trying to do, you can't stop all cases. You're trying to mitigate and protect against, you know, fast and widespread, you know, numbers of folks getting this.

And so at a minimum once a week, but in a perfect world you'd be more frequent than that to really try and keep those cases down. And then you have to quarantine and isolate and contact trace and do everything you can to try, to try to keep those physical schools open.

BALDWIN: One solution to some of this, I was talking to the legendary educator, Jeffrey Canada last week, and he is proposing, as these vaccines are presumably about to get green lit, that teachers are among the first wave of those who get the vaccine. He says best way to be able to, you know, open schools safely, keep them open. Secretary Duncan, what do you think of that idea? Is it even feasible?

DUNCAN: I think it's not just feasible. It's critical. Our teachers are essential workers just like those working, you know, the health professions. Just like those working in grocery stores. Teachers are on the front lines of this.

And so they should absolutely have access to it. The amount of stress and worry and anxiety that are teachers and kids, parents are dealing with is extraordinary. And so whatever we can do to keep them safe and to get our schools physically opened, we should absolutely commit to that as a country. No question about it.

BALDWIN: Last quick question, parents are obviously facing a tough choice. You're a parent. You know this. Right? Should they risk their kids going to school and potentially getting sick or do they risk their kids falling behind because of remote learning? What's your advice to parents?

DUNCAN: Well, again, it varies community by community and risk. Let me just say, Brooke, these are very, very tough choices. No one wants their kids to be home. Kids want to be in a physical school. But those kids have to be safe.

And not just they have to be safe if they're going home to mom or grandma or grandfather with some pre-existing conditions. As much as you might want to send that child, it might not be safe due to what's going on in your home. So the health and safety has to come first. As critically important as education is, that's the second step in this process.

BALDWIN: Arne Duncan, thank you, get better soon.

DUNCAN: Thanks so much.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

President-elect Joe Biden continues to make a big statement with his staff picks. Choosing women, all women, to lead the White House senior communications team and other key posts. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:40:00]

BALDWIN: The incoming Biden/Harris administration is already making history and their choices for cabinet positions and other key offices in their administration represent another series of firsts. Today, President-elect Joe Biden named former Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen as his pick for Treasury Secretary. If confirmed she will be the first woman to hold that position.

He also named Neera Tanden to lead the Office of Management and Budget, she would be the first woman of color, and first South Asian American to hold that post. And Cecilia Rouse would be the first African-American woman to chair the Council of Economic Advisers.

And just yesterday, in another first, Biden named an all-female senior communications team. Look at that picture. While there are certainly other several -- other women in key positions in the current administration, the Biden/Harris team really signaling their reliance on leadership and advice of women.

So joining me now to discuss is Lynn Sweet, Washington bureau chief of the "Chicago Sun-Times." Lynn, great to have you on, welcome.

LYNN SWEET, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Hi, Brooke.

BALDWIN: When it specifically comes to Biden's comms team, "The Washington Post" notes, quote, the all-female team will instantly disrupt how journalists cover the administration at a time when men's views still typically dominate political and government coverage.

[15:45:00] Not that, again, previous administrations haven't tried, but how glass ceiling shattering, Lynn, are these picks?

SWEET: I think taken in their totality, the comms team plus the other women you're talking about means that these firsts are still being created and that means, Brooke, we may have seconds, that's always the point.

We're speaking in the centennial year of women getting the vote, and a 100 years later we're still talking about firsts. So, I celebrate glass ceilings being broken by Republicans or Democrats because it's time to bust all these ceilings. And, yes, I mean, this team is very seasoned so they would shake things up no matter their gender but, yes, they will have a very different sensibility.

BALDWIN: I think if I remember correctly in that first speech from Kamala Harris when she was talking on that stage about, you know, certainly being the first woman V.P. pick, but also saying to the little girls out there, you know, I certainly won't be the last.

Also worthy of a mention, Lynn, the diversity not just within the comm shop, and of course, his own as I mentioned V.P. pick but his cabinet, a black woman, a Latino immigrant, a Jewish-American. What signal is his team trying to send to the American people just in terms of representation?

SWEET: Well, as Vice President-elect Harris has said, that they are determined to have a cabinet that looks like America. We're coming off the almost all-white male Trump years, and if you want a cabinet, if you want an administration that looks like America, then that means you're going to have diversity.

Biden was elected with a strong support of women, in general, black women, in particular. So, when you combine these two gaps, gender and diversity, these first picks, Brooke, are showing a very good faith down payment on what the Biden/Harris administration wants to look like. I say "down payment" because there's a lot of other big jobs still to come.

BALDWIN: Agree. Lynn Sweet, love that. The firsts leading to seconds. Thank you so much.

And just a programming note for all of you -- you got it -- the new CNN film, "President in Waiting" takes a very personal look at the role of the Vice President, that's Saturday night, 9:00 Eastern, only here on CNN.

All eyes on Georgia where the fight for control of the Senate is gaining more and more attention by the day. And money by the day as well. Now President Trump is getting ready to campaign in that state next weekend. We'll talk about that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:00] BALDWIN: President Trump is getting ready to head to Georgia this weekend. The state's critical January 5th Senate runoffs continue to draw big money and political heavy weights. Both of Georgia's Senate seats will be decided and Republican incumbents are facing tough challengers, and this all decides the fate of the U.S. Senate.

CNN's Kyung Lah is in Atlanta. And Kyung, this morning John Ossoff, the Democrat challenging Senator David Perdue, held a news conference further pushing these allegations that Perdue lied about his stock trades. What did he say?

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is an organized press conference by the Ossoff campaign in order to seize on some reporting from "The New York Times" last week that did a deep dive into the Senator's stock trading earlier this year.

Now as the virus was gripping the country in late January, Senate financial disclosures do show that Senator Perdue did sell off more than $1 million worth of stock. Now the stock at that point, was quite high. He then repurchased that stock six weeks later for a much lower price. What the Ossoff campaign is saying is that the timing of all of this is, quote, suspicious and unethical.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN OSSOFF (D) GEORGIA STATE SENATE CANDIDATE: Senator Perdue has repeatedly claimed that he doesn't control his day-to-day stock trades. But federal agents secured banking records which revealed that Senator Perdue did, in fact, personally instruct stock trading. The truth is Senator Perdue did direct his investments personally. So every time he has said he's not personally responsible for profiting from this pandemic, he's been lying to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAH (on camera): Now the Perdue campaign in a statement said that these were simply baseless accusations and that they are being levied by the Ossoff campaign for political gain. And we should point out that the Ossoff campaign certainly can say all of these things but that these stock trades were investigated by the Department of Justice, the S.E.C., and the bipartisan Senate Ethics Committee and they did not charge Senator Perdue with a crime -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Quick follow-up for you, Kyung. There is a debate scheduled this weekend. Will both candidates be there?

LAH: Well, Senator Perdue will not. He's already declined to be there. And so in his place is going to be an empty podium. And that, again, was part of the Ossoff attack this morning, saying if he really wanted to clear the air here, then he could show up and debate.

BALDWIN: Kyung Lah in Atlanta. Kyung, thank you so much.

And the candidates in the other Senate runoff in Georgia are both planning to show up for their final debate. Reverend Raphael Warnock goes head-to-head with Republican Incumbent Kelly Loeffler live Sunday night at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

Two vaccines in the United States before Christmas?

[15:55:00]

That is a very real possibility according to the Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. But who gets it first? We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.

And we begin today with the 2020 LEAD, a key milestone for the Biden presidency today. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris today are receiving theirs first presidential daily brief, that's the highest level on intelligence about the threats facing the United States and its allies.