Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Teachers in Ohio's Largest District on Strike as School Year Begins; National Archives Wanted Intel Community to Assess Damage of Classified Documents Retrieved from Mar-a-Lago in January; Study Shows Brain Stimulation Improves Adults' Short-Term Memory. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired August 24, 2022 - 10:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:30:00]

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: It's the first day of school in Columbus, Ohio but students are learning online there instead of in the classroom, this is because, for the first time since 1975, those teachers are on strike.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Imagine facing that again post pandemic. What is playing out right now in Ohio is just one example of stress many teachers are facing across the country in the wake of the pandemic, but also mass shootings and staff shortages.

CNN's Lucy Kafanov spoke to some of the teachers on the picket line.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do we want?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A contract.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When do we want it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now.

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As students across the nation head back to class, teachers in Ohio's largest school district are marking themselves absent, hitting the picket lines for the first time in nearly 50 years.

The teachers union has been negotiating with the school board for months. Class was supposed to begin on Wednesday. But for now, there is still no agreement in sight.

JENNIFER ADAIR, PRESIDENT, COLUMBUS CITY SCHOOLS: School does start on Wednesday, which means our children will be online learning. We know that this is absolutely not ideal.

KAFANOV: The school board president calling the decision to strike disappointing. ADAIR: The board has demonstrated that it has worked hard to try to come to a resolution with CEA. And at this point, we are where we are because CEA did not determine it wanted to be a collaborative partner at the negotiation table.

KAFANOV: But union leaders say they were left with no choice.

REGINA FUENTES, SPOKESPERSON, COLUMBUS EDUCATION ASSOCIATION: We have just reached a point where, you know, the conditions in Columbus City Schools are just not acceptable. COVID really kind of burnt out a lot of teachers and we're afraid that if we don't put this out in the forefront now, that we're just continuing to break down our teachers and lose public education all together.

KAFANOV: Their demands, smaller classes, functional heating and air conditioning and a well-rounded curriculum that includes art, music and physical education.

For now, classes are being taught online by substitute teachers but some parents say their kids won't be logging on.

For Kelley Freeman's son, Arthor, that means missing his first day in kindergarten.

KELLEY FREEMAN, PARENT: We're going to be keep him home. We're not going to cross the picket line virtual or not.

KAFANOV: Others worry about how their kid will handle the challenge of learning from home.

LAKHIYA WASHINGTON, PARENT: Well, what really went through my mind is that he wasn't going to have that interaction with his classroom.

KAFANOV: Some are now seeking educational alternatives, like charter schools.

JAROD HAWK, SUPREINTENDENT, ACCEL SCHOOLS: So, we have parents calling literally every second of the day right now. Do you all have wait list? How soon can we get our children in?

KAFANOV: While students just want life to get back to normal.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We can just go back to a regular school year.

KAFANOV: Schools across the U.S. are scrambling to fill vacancies brought on by a shortage of some 300,000 teachers. The education secretary this week acknowledging that teachers should be paid more.

MIGUEL CARDONA, EDUCATION SECRETARY: In the last 25 years, when you adjust for inflation, teachers have made only $29 more than they did 25 years ago. We need to do better there.

KAFANOV: Educators report low morale and burnout, exacerbated by the pandemic, meager pay, crowded classrooms, concerns about a growing number of school shootings and changing guidance on what they're allowed to teach. FUENTES: We need to actually start investing in our schools. Teachers of America are crucial to the development of our society. We really need to put that focus back on the teachers and the students because they're the ones that are going to be the citizens of tomorrow.

KAFANOV: For now, these instructors say the best lesson they can teach is to strike.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAFANOV (on camera): So, more than 4,000 educators serving some 47,000 students are hitting the streets instead of the classroom today, but there is some hope. We know that a federal mediator overseeing the contract negotiations has called for both parties to return to the bargaining table. That meeting is set for 1:00 P.M. local time. But, again, it's not clear whether that impasse could come to an end. The two sides have already met 22 times since March. That's a long time. Perhaps the 23rd time will be the charm. Guys?

HARLOW: Well, let's hope so. Lucy Kafanov, thanks very much for being there for that reporting.

Well, the state of Texas is among other states dealing with this shortage of teachers. That is forcing at least five school districts in Texas to switch to a four-day school week.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Imagine how that would disrupt a family schedule. The superintendent for the DeKalb Independent School District says middle school and high school students will actually be gaining more time in the classroom this way.

[10:35:01]

75 percent of students in that school district said they favored the idea of a four-day week.

HARLOW: Well, see how that works out.

Next, we will speak with Congresswoman Jackie Speier who serves on the House Oversight and the House Intelligence Committees, getting her views on the handling of highly classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, plus what the Democratic primaries also tell us about the upcoming midterms.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Welcome back. We have details about more than 700 pages of documents, 100-plus of them classified, that National Archives said were retrieved from former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in January.

[10:40:10]

This was the first time. So, the documents included materials marked sensitive compartmented information, meaning they had to be viewed in a secure government facility. Others were marked as special access programs. It is a classification that significantly limits who can access the information.

Well, this newly released letter from the National Archives from back in May also illustrates this month's long back-and-forth with the Trump team and them about these documents, and it shows the delays from former President Trump's team on returning them.

Let's talk about these headlines and a lot more with California Congresswoman Jackie Speier. She currently serves on the Oversight, Armed Services and Intelligence committees. Good morning, Congresswoman, thanks very much for your time.

REP. JACKIE SPEIER (D-CA): Great to be with you, Poppy.

HARLOW: This letter tells us a whole lot about the documents first retrieved from the National Archives back in January and the delay and the back-and-forth overall of this. What does this teach us that you think is critical that we didn't know before?

SPEIER: I think there is a number of things it teaches us. First of all, it teaches us that we should recognize Donald Trump for who he is. Everything is about him. Everything is about money. Nothing is about the country.

I'm really disappointed that some of my Republican colleagues are tripping over themselves trying to protect him. This is a form of grand theft. These documents don't belong to him. The Presidential Records Act requires all documents, whether they're classified or unclassified, that they are the property of the government.

So, his argument that he declassified them, which is false, and even his attorneys haven't used that argument in their newest filing, seeking a special master, but even above that, they don't belong to him. So, why does he have them and why does he want them?

And I think we have to look at the countries that he has cozied up to while he was president, Saudi Arabia, Russia and China. Two of those countries are our greatest enemies right now. They are our greatest adversaries.

And the fact that he's taken this classified information that can't be anything that you would want to frame because it is focused on our sources and methods and it talks about our greatest secrets. So, you're only going to take that if you want to use it for some purpose. So, I think this criminal investigation is exactly what should be taking place.

HARLOW: And to be clear for our viewers, we don't know what's in these documents but we do know the highly classified level of some of them, according to this letter.

I do want to know if you understand the concern from some of your Republican colleagues like, for example, your colleague on the Intel Committee, Congressman Mike Turner of Ohio, that this is unprecedented in so many ways, right, because you're dealing with the former president, you're dealing with this search, and his argument that it requires more oversight and transparency, particularly to Congress, right? And you have this unique position on oversight and Intel. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE TURNER (R-OH): We don't know if they rise to the level of being a national security threat. But the fact that you have here the attorney general who is going after President Biden's political rival, whose own personal career was derailed on the way to the Supreme Court by Donald Trump himself.

We have the clearance, we have the oversight ability. Attorney General Garland needs to provide these materials. You have bipartisan calls to do that. Put the materials in a room. Let us see them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Do you agree with him? Do you want to see them now?

SPEIER: I'd like to see them but I don't need to see them because the president doesn't own these documents. This was not just, please, give us the documents back, and then they go and get a search warrant. This was a year-and-a-half of negotiations with Donald Trump and then him filing lawsuits and making false claims. He doesn't own them.

So, regardless of whether or not we get to see them, the fact they have been identified as sensitive compartmentalized information suggests that we're talking about our most important, closely held information. It puts people at risk who are serving our country.

And this, in my view, is a no brainer.

[10:45:02]

He doesn't own them. He has stolen them. He needs to give them back. He's dragged his heels and prevented that from happening for a year- and-a-half. He needs to have more than a slap on the hand.

HARLOW: Congresswoman, one thing we don't know, the public doesn't know and you guys don't know yet is what was in the affidavit. And there is a lot of information there that a judge is deciding on soon, whether any of it should be released to the public for transparency or not. And it's not just the former president, his team, Republican lawmakers who are calling for more transparency on the affidavit specifically, it's some of your fellow Democrats in the House, including your fellow California Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna. Here is what he told me this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): There is an obligation to get all the information out there that they can when you have a former president involved. And so my view is get it out there.

HARLOW: Do you disagree with the DOJ position here saying the public shouldn't see this right now?

KHANNA: I think it's too aggressive a position when you're dealing with a former president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: He disagrees with the Department of Justice. Do you?

SPEIER: No. I don't. I mean, I think that as much of the affidavit that can be made public without jeopardizing individuals who have been of service to our country or our sources and methods, absolutely. But our national security is really what is at stake here.

And I think as time progresses, we will see -- Merrick Garland was not derailed by Donald Trump. He was derailed by Mitch McConnell during the Obama administration. So, I don't think this is -- Merrick Garland is very careful. He's a judge. He was a court of appeals judge. He is very careful. And I don't think this action was taken lightly at all.

HARLOW: To be clear, DOJ doesn't want any of the affidavit released. That is what they have argued in their motion in court. So, it sounds like you are somewhat aligned with what Ro Khanna is calling for there. A judge will decide pretty soon and I really appreciate your time on this, this morning. Congresswoman Speier, thanks very much.

SPEIER: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: All right. Need some help with your memory? God knows I do sometimes. A promising new study that could jump start your memory. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us next to explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:00]

HARLOW: So, some mild electrical currents to the brain could help improve your memory, something I could certainly use.

SCIUTTO: Just mild.

HARLOW: Just mild. In a new study, researchers used non-invasive brain simulation to deliver currents to two parts of the brain known for storing and recalling information.

SCIUTTO: CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now to explain what they found. So, Sanjay, help our brains here.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is fascinating research. It's early research but it's a real proof of concept. Let me just preface by saying the idea of noninvasive things to the brain was always challenging in large part because of the skull. Other parts of your body don't have this boney sort of layer between it and the organ, but for some time now, they have been using magnetic energy, they have been sound energy and now electrical energy, alternating current in this case, to basically try and change brainwaves in certain areas of the brain.

So, let me just tell you quickly what they did here, Basically, they were targeting an area near the front of the brain over here, which they believe is more responsible for longer term memories, and something further back which they believe was responsible for shorter term memories.

We have a little video of exactly what people went through. They basically put on this skull cap. I think you just saw some of that video. You don't feel much. They may feel a little heat, a little bit of pressure, but, basically, that electrical current is then delivered in those areas that I just described in the form of these very specific waves, a type of gamma wave towards the front, a type theta wave towards the back. Gamma is green, theta is purple, throwing a lot of information at you here. But what they found when they did that was that it did seem to make a change in those areas of the brain, seem to synchronize the brainwaves in the front and the back.

And on the screen there, you can see just how much of a difference that it make. 17 out of 20 people improved in their long-term memory, 18 out of 20 people improved in their short-term memory. These are small studies, just 20 people each. They also did a sham study, guys, where they just put the skull cap on, mimicked the feeling that one might have but didn't actually generate any current to the brain, and there was no change in those patients.

So, this is a proof of concept. You can noninvasively change brain in this way, synchronize those brainwaves. It can have an impact both on long-term and short-term memory and the impacts seem to last, you know, at least a month in the study. We'll see how this plays out in larger trials.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HARLOW: How -- I mean, how promising is this? Because, Sanjay, I know this is maybe some moms can relate, but like especially after having my babies, I had like some significant brain fog for awhile, lack of sleep, all of that. But, I mean, would that be used in something like this? When would this be used and how promising is it?

GUPTA: It's a really important question.

[10:55:00]

Is this something that is going to be used primarily in people who have documented memory problems or could it be used in people who have more vague issues? Right now, everyone in the trial was 65 years and older. People oftentimes in this trial did have some evidence of memory loss. Hopefully, you know, their hope is that they would expand this ultimately.

I think there's a couple of questions remaining still. Does this actually improve memory longer term or does it actually help you remember lists of words better, which is how they study people in this particular case? Also, keep in mind, in the past, we would actually have to drill holes in the skull in order to stimulate certain parts of the brain. This is another example of not having to do that.

SCIUTTO: That's good news.

HARLOW: Totally fascinating.

GUPTA: Yes, it's fascinating.

HARLOW: Yes, thanks very, very much.

And thanks to all of you for joining us today. We'll see you right back here tomorrow morning. I'm Poppy Harlow.

SCIUTTO: And I'm Jim Sciutto.

At This Hour with Kate Bolduan starts right after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:00]