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Schools Defy Florida and Texas Governors on Masks; New Orleans Hospital Chief: Record Number of Severely Ill Children; Senate to Vote on Infrastructure Bill; Texas Democrats Can Return to State without Fear of Arrest. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired August 10, 2021 - 10:00   ET

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

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ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR AND U.S. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Good Tuesday morning. I'm Erica Hill. Poppy and Jim are off today.

This morning in Texas and Florida, two states that account for a fourth of all children currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in the U.S., school districts in those states now pushing back, defying their governors by imposing mask mandates.

This comes as Florida's governor Ron DeSantis is ramping up the fight over masks in his state. It's not just about school funding anymore. He's now threatening to withhold the salaries of school officials who go against his anti-mask order.

Meantime, In Texas, Dallas and Austin public schools now requiring masks, despite a ban from governor Greg Abbott on those mandates. The governor also just sending a letter, asking hospitals to voluntarily postpone elective medical procedures to make sure there is room for the surge in COVID-19 patients across the state.

All of this happening as we see some troubling new data from the American Academy of Pediatrics this morning, showing a dramatic increase in the number of children testing positive for COVID-19. Almost 94,000 kids tested positive in just the past week. Cases among kids have been steadily increasing since the beginning of July.

There is a lot to get to this morning. Let's start with Dr. Seema Yasmin. She's a former CDC disease detective and author of the book, "Viral BS: Medical Myths and Why We Fall for Them."

Doctor, always good to talk to you.

When you see what is happening with these mask mandates and now school boards defying the governors, saying, we are putting the health and safety of our children and staff first, where do you think this goes? DR. SEEMA YASMIN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: This feels like really terrible deja vu, Erica. We've been here already. When you look at the numbers nationally for adults and kids in terms of Americans getting infected with COVID every day, we're up 30 percent from this time last year.

So we've been here. We know what it is to see so many of our loved ones getting sick every day. We know what it means to be in the debate about should kids be in school and should they not.

So to see politicians and especially these Republican governors just trying to score cheap political points while threatening public health, it is absolutely disgusting. And you mentioned governor Greg Abbott in Texas; he's speaking out both sides of his mouth.

On the other hand, he's telling health care workers, hey, just cancel your routine medical care, cancel your appointments with your regular patients because we have got so many COVID patients and, at the same time, he's ordering a ban on mask mandates.

So not letting public health officials or school superintendents or even letting the community take the very basic measures, recommending masks, that we need to get this new variant under control.

HILL: It is interesting, the Austin mayor told me last night, in light of the developments, including the letter from the governor, they were past that point and they already had to make some of those decisions in his area.

So we talk about masks but there are also questions about vaccine mandates, specifically for staff, teachers and staff. Dr. Fauci weighing in on that this morning. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF COVID-19 MEDICAL ADVISER: I'm going to upset some people on this but I think we should. I mean, we are in a critical situation now. We've had 615,000-plus deaths and we are in a major surge now as we're going into the fall, into the school season.

This is very serious business. I'm sorry. I mean, I know people must like to have their individual freedom and not be told to do something. But I think we're in such a serious situation now that, under certain circumstances, mandates should be done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Mandates should be done for the vaccine.

If we're seeing so much pushback against a mask, what do you think a vaccine mandate for teachers and staff may look like?

What do you think the reaction to that will be?

YASMIN: We're already seeing, Erica, some of the fallout. People fighting about civil liberties versus these kinds of mandates. But we just have to be honest about the numbers here.

For the first time in six months, we just had a day where 120,000 Americans were infected with COVID in a single day. And like I said, it feels like really bad deja vu. It feels like last year but worse because we have this much more transmissible variant.

The thing is, we also have more interventions on our side. We do have vaccines that work. And with so much pushback against them, mandates for many feel like, honestly, the best next step. Let's use that kind of mandate to really encourage behavior, especially among those people who are kind of on the fence.

So I think Dr. Fauci is right; the numbers call for this. We want to get back to normal. We want kids to be able to just learn regularly in school. We want to travel.

How can we do that when this variant is so dominant?

It is taking over.

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YASMIN: And we just don't have enough Americans who are fully vaccinated right now. We just crossed the halfway mark but that is not enough in the fight against the Delta variant.

HILL: We know there is also this -- there are a group of people who say, hey, I'm waiting for full FDA approval.

YASMIN: Right.

HILL: Some places have been also waiting to mandate until there is full FDA approval. Dr. Fauci said this morning, this thing is as good as fully approved by the FDA. It is not going to be a big change when that does happen, hopefully in the coming weeks.

And yet the misinformation continues; notably Marjorie Taylor Greene, who tweeted specifically, talking about FDA approval, saying the FDA should not approve the COVID vaccines. There are too many reports of infection and spread among vaccinated people.

Look, number one, we know 99.99 percent of the fully vaccinated have not needed to be hospitalized, they have not died or suffered severe illness. This misinformation has prompted Twitter to suspend her for a week. But with 430,000 followers, the damage may be.

Dr. Yasmin, talk about feeling like a broken record and we've been here before, here we are again.

YASMIN: Yes. And honestly, Erica, I just feel like some people spout so much nonsense they don't even deserve our attention or air time. And I will say, you speak to six different Americans, they may give you six different reasons for getting vaccinated or for not getting vaccinated.

For some people it is a sticky issue that we don't have full FDA approval yet for COVID vaccines but we're on the way to getting there. The FDA is still amassing more data. Right now, though, we have emergency use authorizations for these vaccines and we are still very much in an emergency.

I do think that the CDC has not been great on its messaging; it pains me to say that. I worked there; I know the agency is trying to do a lot with not enough resources. But we need to be so clear, because, Erica, people are just hearing, oh, a friend of mine, her husband, he was vaccinated then he got the Delta variant.

Well, OK; there are going to be breakthrough cases, especially as more and more Americans get vaccinated.

But are vaccinated Americans winding up in hospital?

Hardly, not when you compare them to vaccinated Americans. So the vaccines are holding up well. What isn't holding up well is that we just haven't gotten enough Americans fully vaccinated. So whatever we can do to move the needle on that is going to be so critical in getting us out of a potentially really bad surge.

HILL: Dr. Seema Yasmin, always good to see you. Thank you.

YASMIN: Thank you.

HILL: Meantime, a troubling message this morning from one of Louisiana's top doctors. The physician-in-chief of Children's Hospital New Orleans warning that the Delta variant is not, quote, "your grandfather's COVID."

Dr. Mark Kline said his hospital is treating a record number of children with severe illness. Overall, the state's current hospitalization rate is more than double the national rate. Nick Valencia is in New Orleans.

Nick, what are you seeing in the hospitals there?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Hospitals here are overwhelmed. And at the start of the pandemic there was a widely held belief that COVID-19 wasn't as infectious or transmissible among small children.

But the fact is that the Delta variant has leveled up this virus and changed that. Here at Children's Hospital New Orleans, the physician- in-chief tells me that their ICU beds are at capacity and have been for about five or six weeks now.

And in the pediatric ward they have babies as young as seven weeks old, another 10 weeks old, struggling to get oxygen. Those who are verbal express to doctors just how distressed they are and how difficult it is for them to breathe.

The staff here is no stranger to seeing really sad things and dealing with small children but they tell me that this is specially difficult for them to see because of just how unnecessary it is. Dr. Mark Kline, the physician-in-chief, saying that this is a result

of those not being vaccinated and it is our time to step up as adults to protect those, the most vulnerable. These children, who still cannot yet get vaccinated, are dependent on adults to protect them from this disease -- Erica.

HILL: You spoke with Dr. Kline, who I mentioned as I was tossing to you.

What does he believe?

The key to protecting our kids is, I'm guessing, vaccines?

VALENCIA: That is right. And it's really interesting because some of the children in this pediatric ward have parents that are not vaccinated. And seeing their children on a ventilator is still, for some of them, not enough to get vaccinated.

And Dr. Kline said that is deeply concerning for him. And to not be that parent, that it is not a personal choice to get vaccinated, in his opinion, he said, this is a common sense public health recommendation, specifically because we don't yet know the long-term effects on children. This is what he had to tell us just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MARK KLINE, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL NEW ORLEANS: We have no idea what the lasting effects of this illness could be for so many children who have suffered from it. So I think we need to do what we can do now to nip this in the bud and put a stop to this and see that as few children as possible are infected with this virus.

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KLINE: And the way to do that, our ticket out of this, is vaccination, vaccination of every eligible adult, of every eligible adolescent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: You know, there are 18 kids in the pediatric ward; thousands of others, he said, that probably have mild cases. So those that are in the hospital are just the tip of the iceberg.

The biggest fear for Dr. Kline is widespread community transmission. A month ago, they only had 1 percent of children testing positive for COVID-19. Two weeks ago, that figure rose to 7 percent. And today 20 percent of those children who are tested for COVID-19 test positive. These rates are fast -- rising faster than any other group -- Erica.

HILL: And faster than anybody would like. Nick Valencia, great reporting as always. Thank you.

We want to turn now to some breaking news out of New York. The governor facing an impeachment investigation, possible criminal charges in the wake of this sexual harassment scandal. CNN's Polo Sandoval in Albany for us.

And you've just learned that governor Cuomo's attorney is going to hold a virtual briefing.

What more do we know about what she may have to say?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, an update posted only about three or four minutes ago on the governor's official Twitter account that we are expected to hear from his personal attorney there in the coming hour, possibly at 11:00 am.

But the big question is, what will she be addressing?

And the answer is at this point we just don't know. But we should look back at the last couple of days and the major developments that we've been tracking here in Albany. And we've heard from his attorney say that we could expect to hear from the governor in the coming days, possibly as he possibly addresses some specific allegations brought against him, from a state trooper that was a member of his protective detail.

But again, at this point, we do not know if we'll actually hear from him. So far it seems that we'll be hearing from his attorney here. But again, the big question is exactly on what she say; it still remains unclear.

But this is happening as the conversations continue between the governor and the members of his inner circle, telling him there are really no other options here except to resign amid that mounting pressure, not just from some of those state lawmakers that are participating in that ongoing impeachment investigation that's nearing conclusion but also even within the executive mansion.

So we wait to hear, by 11 o'clock, from the governor's attorney, Rita Glavin, we'll certainly be monitoring that and bring you any potential changes that may come out of that press conference.

HILL: And quickly, Polo, as far as we know, it is just his attorney, right?

We're not expecting to hear from the governor himself?

SANDOVAL: That is correct, Erica. The governor tweeting a little while ago that we could expect at 11 o'clock, outside counsel Rita Glavin will hold a virtual briefing. We are told that we may not expect an opportunity for questions to be asked by members of the media. But that certainly could change at any moment.

And we should mention, we have already heard from her (sic) attorney several times. We heard from her on Saturday in a very lengthy interview here on CNN and just yesterday we heard from her on another network and on CNN as well, as she continued to deny those mounting allegations against her client.

HILL: Yes, I spoke with her last night and I did ask her again when we would hear from the governor, because he -- specifically, we were told by Rita Glavin -- did plan to address those allegations from Trooper Number 1. As of last night she still had no timeline. Maybe today we hear more. We'll be waiting and watching.

Polo, appreciate the update. Thank you.

In less than an hour, the Senate is set to vote on a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure package.

Could there be a really long day ahead?

Could a good old vote-a-rama change the final outcome?

We're live with the details.

Plus a judge signing a order to block the arrest of Texas Democrats, who left the state in an effort to fight new restrictive voting laws. One of them will join me -- just ahead.

And Afghanistan on the brink of collapse with the Taliban claiming, just moments ago, it has captured another city. It is the seventh in just a matter of days.

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HILL: Happening now, the Senate in the middle of a marathon round of votes before the expecting passage of a bipartisan infrastructure bill. Today's vote following months of back and forth but will include $1.2 trillion in funding for roads, rail, broadband and water infrastructure. CNN's Manu Raju joining us now live from Capitol Hill.

So the Senate passing this measure, the latest of many hurdles before the bill becomes law.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and it will pass and the only question right now is how many Republicans will join with all 50 Democrats to vote to approve this measure and send it to the House, where its fate is uncertain. There have been 18 Republican senators to break a filibuster to advance this measure to a final vote.

But some Republicans who had supported this deal have since said they are not supporting final passage. Mike Rounds this morning said he would not support this bill. But it won't affect the outcome.

This tease of a complicated series of procedural maneuvers that Democrats have to form to get this into law. One is the passage of a much larger Democratic-only bill, a $3.5 trillion bill, expanding Democratic priorities on immigration, health care and climate change.

[10:20:00] RAJU: That bill is a first step in the legislative process to pass that larger bill. That first step is to approve as what is known as the budget resolution in the Senate. That is going to tee off a long, drawn-out series of amendments that both sides will battle on, back and forth for hours and hours.

And moments ago Mitch McConnell came to the floor and attacked Democrats over this plan to expand the social safety net.

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SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: The Senate rules mean that if 50 Democrats plus the vice president stick together, Republicans will probably not be able to save our colleagues from themselves.

If even our colleagues who claim they're moderates want to follow the far Left off this cliff, well, that's their prerogative. But we're going to argue it out right here on the floor.

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RAJU: The only way that Republicans could stop this Democratic-only approach is if one Democrat were to defect, someone like Joe Manchin or Kyrsten Sinema, who's raised concerns about the $3.5 trillion price tag.

But what is complicated is that Nancy Pelosi has demanded that the Senate pass that Democratic-only approach before she moves on the bipartisan infrastructure proposal that will pass the Senate later today in the next hour.

Even though moderates in her caucus are calling for the bipartisan deal to get a vote immediately. So how they could navigate this and piece the two different factions of their caucus together, will ultimately determine whether this ultimately becomes law -- Erica.

HILL: And we will be watching because you'll bring us every detail. Manu, as always, thank you.

The Texas Democrats who left the state in July to stop the passage of a restrictive voting bill can now return without the fear of arrest. Not everyone, though, is ready to go home. Up next I'll ask one of the lawmakers whether they're ready to leave Washington just yet.

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HILL: Texas Democrats who left the state last month to block Republicans from passing restrictive voting bills are now free to go home without fear of being arrested after a judge issued a temporary restraining order. The Republican governor had called for the Democrats to be arrested as soon as they returned to Texas.

But now a second special session is underway in the Texas house. The chamber is inching close to reaching the quorum needed to pass those voting bills. Joining me now is one of the Texas Democrats who has yet to return to the state, representative Vikki Goodwin.

Great to have you with us.

So any good plans to go home?

REP. VIKKI GOODWIN (D-AUSTIN), TEXAS STATE HOUSE: Well, honestly, I am back home. I flew in last night.

HILL: Oh, you did.

(LAUGHTER)

HILL: We didn't get that update before the interview. So thank you for letting us know. So you decided to go home and I guess it's because of what has changed.

GOODWIN: Exactly. With the temporary restraining order, I felt comfortable being back in my home and I'm happy to be here with my husband and my pets.

HILL: And I'm sure they are happy to have you back. You went to D.C. and you were looking for a little help. You actually met virtually with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez yesterday.

What terms of help, do you feel, if any, you got in Washington?

GOODWIN: She gave us a lot of encouragement. She's said she's going to do everything that she can to help. She encouraged us to keep doing what we're doing, to make phone calls and have meetings with senators and Congress people and also to stay off the Texas house floor.

HILL: So stay off the house floor, continue your calls and your meetings. Not a lot has changed, as I'm sure you've discovered since arriving home, even though you've been there a short time.

What are your options?

Is that what you have in terms of moving forward, is staying off the house floor and just continuing to work the phones?

GOODWIN: Well, that and just, you know, letting the Republicans know that we're going to keep up this fight until we get some word from them that they're willing to work with us. That is all we want.

We want some collaboration. During the hearing that we had on the elections bill, we asked for a number of changes and they weren't willing to work with us at all.

So until that happens, until we hear that they're willing to work with us, not just on elections but on this crazy mask mandate or the banning of a mask mandate here, already our schools are deciding, taking a really difficult step to say that they're going to mandate masks for the safety of the students and the teachers.

So really what we're looking for is just some reaching across the aisle from our Republican partners.

HILL: So I do want to ask you about the --

(CROSSTALK)

HILL: -- that you represent Austin in just a minute. But sticking with the fact that you say you want to work more with your Republican colleagues, is there any indication that the will is there?

Are you hearing anything?

Have you reached out to any of them personally, perhaps, with whom you have a relationship, to try to move that forward?

GOODWIN: So far, we're not hearing that. Honestly, we have good, fair, tight elections already. We don't need an elections bill. What we need to focus is on is COVID, we need to focus on our electrical grid here in Texas and we need to restore funding for the legislature. Those are the three items that I'm willing to work on.

I haven't heard other Republicans say that they'll put the election bills aside to work on what is really critical.

HILL: So then it is just a status quo at this point?

GOODWIN: At this point, that is why I'm continuing to stay off the house floor and we're asking our Democratic colleagues to stay off the house floor until such a time as the Republicans will change their mind.

HILL: I do want to ask you, you mentioned the mask mandate.