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House GOP Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to Meet with Trump Today; Teachers Fight Return to Classrooms without Proper Precautions; Pandemic Leads to Worst Year of Economic Growth Since 1946. Aired 11:30-12p ET

Aired January 28, 2021 - 11:30   ET

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

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KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: President Biden once again using the power of executive action to reverse a Trump-era policy. In just a few hours, he's going to be signing an order the White House says will strengthen the Affordable Care Act.

Let's get over to the White House. CNN's John Harwood is standing by with more details on what is coming today. John, what are you expecting?

JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Kate, as we've seen over the first two weeks, President Biden has been using executive orders to try to generate some political momentum and make incremental process toward his policy goals. Today, you've got a two-fold thrust from Joe Biden.

One is on the Affordable Care Act, the Obamacare. He's going to open up a special enrollment period under Obamacare for people that have lost their jobs during this pandemic. We saw today with the 45th consecutive jobless claims in excess of $700,000, how many people need health care coverage. The Trump administration was not eager to expand enrollment.

The second has to do with abortion. There has been a teeter-totter for decades between Republican and Democratic administrations where Republican administrations beginning with Ronald Reagan outlawed the use of federal funds for international organizations that support abortion-related services.

[11:35:12]

That is being rescinded by President Biden so that funding will be available.

Of course, the biggest health measure the president is pursuing is that $1.9 trillion COVID relief package, which he continues to try to push in Congress either with Republican votes or without through the reconciliation process.

And beyond that, a further goal for the administration is going to be expanding subsidies under Obamacare to make those marketplace options more affordable for middle class consumers in addition to providing a public option to compete with those private insurance plans on Obamacare. That is for legislation later today as these executive orders.

BOLDUAN: Yes, that's exactly right. Great to see you, John, thank you.

Let me get back to something that we were talking about just before the break with Nia and Jessica, the future of the Republican Party. One potentially telling sign of where the fight for the soul of the Republican Party is headed, the Republican leader in the House, Kevin McCarthy, he is headed to meet with Donald Trump today in Florida. CNN is reporting that he is not there to tell Trump to go away. He is there to try and get back into the former president's good graces.

And then also look to Wyoming where Republican Congressman from Florida Matt Gaetz, he's headed there to rally Trump supporters against a fellow Republican. He's actually getting on a plane to try and take on Liz Cheney, the number three Republican in the House, in her home district only because she voted her conscience and she called it that when she voted in favor of Donald Trump's impeachment.

And then there is also this. One of the senators who led the charge to challenge the election result, the very charge that fueled the Capitol rioters, he's trying to rewrite history. Senator Josh Hawley saying now that he didn't do what he very clearly did. On the day of the insurrection, for example, this photo, which all of you have you seen by now, captured Hawley raising his fist in a show of solidarity to a crowd of Trump supporters at a Stop the Steal rally, a crowd that we know, hours later, violently stormed the Capitol.

And in the weeks leading up to that day, Hawley suggested repeatedly that the election could be overturned, always feeding the completely false hope that Trump could somehow remain president because, obviously, inherent is that is the election was stolen. Very clearly giving a wink-wink, nod-nod, to the rage that was brewing among Trump supporters.

Here he Josh Hawley just two days before the insurrection.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just want to pin you down on what you are trying to do. Are you trying to say that as of January 20th that President Trump will be president?

SEN. JOSH HAWLEY (R-MO): Well, that depends on what happens on Wednesday. I mean, this is why we have the debate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, it doesn't. I mean, the states --

(END VIDEO CLIP) BOLDUAN: That depends, he says. And now, Senator Hawley's attempt to clean up the damage left behind.

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MARK REARDON, HOST, THE MARK REARDON SHOW (voice over): Do you, at this point, or I guess maybe did you on January 6th, think the election was stolen and that Joe Biden is an illegitimate president?

HAWLEY (voice over): I have never used that rhetoric, Mark. My view is that what we need to have are elections that are fair, free and open. I think Congress needs to do its job and look into election irregularities.

I never said that the goal was to overturn the election. That was never the point and it was never possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: No, it was never possible, but that makes no sense. Then what else was he trying to say when he objected to election results?

We're hoping to get -- our next guest will be, hopefully, former Republican Senator from Tennessee Bob Corker having a connection issue. We're going to try to get Bob Corker up for his very important take on this, right after the break.

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BOLDUAN: It has been and remains the most frustrating and challenging question of the coronavirus pandemic, when to close schools and when to open them back up. President Biden is pledging -- has been pledging to have a majority of elementary and middle schools reopen for in- person in the first 100 days.

States like Ohio are pushing to return to in-person learning by March. But in other places like Chicago, Illinois, the nation's third largest school districts, the teachers' union is fighting the district's plan there so reopen on Monday.

The new CDC director is weighing in as well. Here is Dr. Rochelle Walensky during CNN's coronavirus town hall last night.

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DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: We know it is probably less disease transmission in schools than in the community. And if you're talking about a high prevalence community, you're going to still have high transmission in the schools, it will just be less than in the community. So in those situations, we really need to ensure a lot of mitigation procedures.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BOLDUAN: Joining me right now is the superintendent of the nation's second largest school district, Los Angeles Unified School's Austin Beutner is back with us. It's good to see you again. Thanks for coming back in.

AUSTIN BEUTNER, SUPREINTENDENT, LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT: Thanks for having me.

BOLDUAN: You and I talked more than once about the challenges of reopening and what you're up against. I mean, we know also that L.A. County is one place where community spread has been very high. What do you think of the guidance and comments from the new CDC director on this?

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BEUTNER: Well, I think the direction is right but it's important to listen to what they said and what they shared publicly. They said the mitigation measures in schools, which can make schools as safe as possible, masking, change of filtration systems, COVID testing and contact tracing, a lot of problems with those. In addition, she is saying in certain communities, the spread is still too high and it has to be brought down. I think that is what we have face in Los Angeles.

So on the CDC website, they talk about higher risk communities, which Los Angeles is one, but we think it takes three things to get teachers back in the classroom. Reduce the spread in the community, have the mitigation measures in place at a school and let's get teachers and all who work for schools vaccinated. That is the safest way to get schools reopened.

BOLDUAN: But when you hear that there is probably less disease transmission in schools than in the community, and you also then know the negative impacts on kids not being in school, does this give you new urgency to find a way to get there sooner?

BEUTNER: We had urgency for ten months. We understand for many students the best place is to be in the classroom. Look at young learners, those learning English, those students with differences and disabilities, students who might have been struggling before class facilities -- school facilities were closed.

We know they need to be back in school desperately but we have to do it in the safest way possible. Which is why we need to make sure community spread is addressed, we need to make sure we have the mitigation measures in place. I've spoken before, we have the nation's leading COVID testing and contact tracing effort in schools already in place.

And then that last piece is let's get our teachers, let's our bus drivers, our cafeteria workers vaccinated as soon as possible. That gets students back in the classroom.

BOLDUAN: And that is a little bit out of your hands, right, especially the third element. You can't force -- you can't force the state to move teachers and bus drivers sooner in the line to get a shot. With all of that in mind, what is your best estimate of when you think you'll be able to reopen the school district?

BEUTNER: Well, again, Los Angeles might be different than Chicago, might be different than New York or San Francisco, in the context of California, we have yet to meet as a community, the Los Angeles area, the level of COVID spread for the state standard to reopen. That state standard is now about 25 cases per 100,000. We're north of 80, three times that. Chicago is 32. San Francisco is 23.

One could imagine they could get there more quickly than we could. Let's get teachers vaccinated now. Let's make sure we have the mitigation measures in place and maybe later this spring, all schools across country, as the president is leading us to, can be open.

BOLDUAN: When you think of the things that you might be able to control, right, mitigation, mitigation policies in place, things like better ventilation, PPE for teachers, I wonder if you have been able to, I don't know, put a dollar figure on that, on how much money you could need from the Biden administration in Congress that would help you address those issues effectively in your schools.

BEUTNER: Well, we've -- it is the right question to ask. We have gone ahead and addressed them. We've changed the air filtration system in 80 million square feet of buildings, replaced the filter membrane with what's called a MERV 13. It's the equivalent of an N95 mask filtering air in the classroom.

We sanitize, we're too young to remember, but those of us older remember Ghostbusters with the ionized sprayer and clean every room ionized mist to make sure that the disease can't spread in a classroom. We moved desks apart. We've trained all school staff on protocols that is all in place. And we probably got close to half a million dollars in unrecouped costs to pay for that.

We've done that. We are testing for COVID at schools. We test students and staff and any family members now at schools to make sure we have got the information, to make sure we have the mitigation procedures, processes in place and we could welcome students back. So it's get that done first, make sure it works right and then bring students back.

BOLDUAN: Yes. And it really does come down to the community spread. The level you're looking is just not sustainable when you look at opening up schools right now. It is great to see you, superintendent. Thank you so much for coming in and, again, getting those teachers vaccinated, got to move them up in the line. Thank you.

All right, I want to turn back to another bit story that we're just discussing about the future of the Republican Party. Joining me I hope, think, pray, is Republican senator from Tennessee, Bob Corker. It is good to see you, Senator. Man, am I tired technology these days.

What I was talking about before when I was going to bring you in was about Senator Josh Hawley as an example of what I want to ask you about. He is denying now that he -- he says that he's denying that he ever thought that the election could be overturned, even though that is exactly what he suggested and said all the way leading up to the insurrection. What do you think Senator Hawley is trying to do here?

FMR. SEN. BOB CORKER (R-TN): I don't know. I haven't heard his comments.

[11:50:00]

There is no doubt that the things that were now on the Senate floor and the House floor did encourage many people who followed them to think that the election could be overturned. And then cosplay, Vice President Pence could overturn the election. And, obviously, that's what led to people doing what they did. So I don't follow the daily blows back and forth, but it's set the context, there is no question, for what happened at the Capitol. And that was a very, very low day in our country's history.

BOLDUAN: No kidding. And I will say, I was struck earlier this hour. Nancy Pelosi was speaking and she was talking about the very real concern among members of the House, at the very least, about their safety, very real security concerns now. And she said that the enemy is within the House.

Did you ever have a real fear for your safety when you were serving, especially from other members? wait saw.

CORKER: No, never thought about. And I hope that's an exaggeration even today. But, no, it was nothing that we ever thought about and though the Capitol police had things under control at all times. Obviously, that didn't happen on January the 6th. But no, ma'am, I do not.

BOLDUAN: And what she's getting at is one person, is a freshman member, Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican who, because of CNN's reporting, has recently uncovered that she has liked and endorsed the idea of executing some Democratic politicians, including the House speaker in the past. And that's not all that is known about Marjorie Taylor Greene. And I'm curious if what you think of this member of Congress.

CORKER: So I don't know this member. This member actually is about 30 miles from where I am. I'm in Chattanooga, Tennessee and I think her home base is Dalton, Tennessee, which is about 30 miles away. But I read a lot of stories. I hope that -- I read some comments this morning on our local paper. And I hope that she is maturing beyond the comments that were made earlier and realizes that words have consequences, as we saw in full living color, unfortunately, on January 6th.

So, hopefully, she will mature beyond some of the comments she made back in 2019 and, look, we all need temp this down. It's crazy what's happening right now in our country, where people are trying to show fealty to a former president and kind of eliminate other people that didn't show the same. It's -- we need to move on, and the Republican Party -- both parties, actually, need to be about policies and not about a human being, and hopefully move to that place.

I realize in 2022 that's going to be somewhat difficult. I realize it will be a litmus test in all likelihood. But, hopefully, by 2024, when Republicans have a nominee running for president, the party will embrace the policies that have been debated and put forth at that time, and we can move beyond this place where some personality has control over so many people, which is just ridiculous.

BOLDUAN: I am curious about where you think the future of the Republican Party is headed. This is a conversation that's had quite often but never in such real stark terms we're looking at. Because, I mean, Jeff Flake, who you know very well, he said this week that he thinks that the fever is or will soon be breaking with Donald Trump's influence.

But today, Kevin McCarthy, the top Republican in the House, he is in Florida to meet with Donald Trump, and all the reporting is in order to get back into his good graces. I mean, where is the evidence that you see to give -- I don't know, to have you looking at the glass half full here? I don't see any evidence of it.

CORKER: So I do think that he's lost support. I think people, it's sinking in to them what he did not only while he was president, and many of his policies I supported, as you know. But what he did after the election, I think, is beginning to sink into people how ridiculous that was, what a non-truth that was, how he did, in fact, incite people to come to the Capitol.

But I think these 2022 elections in Congress probably are still going to have some of that fever taking place. I think it's going to take a while -- on both sides of the aisle, so I do think it's going to be --

BOLDUAN: We're going to see if our connection can hold on, and it looks like our connection did not. Senator, thank you very much for your time, I'm very sorry that the connection broke down one more time. I'm looking forward to having Bob Corker on again sometime very, very soon.

Coming up for us, Candidate Joe Biden, he ran on a pledge to strengthen Obamacare. Today, President Biden is signing a series of executive actions focused on just that, focused on health care, focused on shoring up the Affordable Care Act once again.

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What this could mean for your coverage, what this could mean for your health care, especially in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic?

We'll be right back.

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BOLDUAN: New data out this morning shows just how much the economy is still reeling from the pandemic. The commerce department is reporting that the U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 4 percent in fourth quarter of 2020.

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