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Connecticut Children's Hospital Weighs Calling National Guard Due To RSV Surge; Leadership Race To Replace Liz Truss As U.K. Prime Minister; Biden Gives Speech On Student Loan Relief Program. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired October 21, 2022 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Doctors nationwide are racing to treat a surge in young patients struggling with a common respiratory virus known as RSV.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: In Connecticut, one children's hospital is considering even calling on the National Guard to help expand its capacity. CNN's Brynn Gingras joins us now from Hartford, Connecticut What are doctors there telling you -- Brynn?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Erica and Victor, it's overwhelming for them, right, for the staff, for the nurses, for the doctors, the fact that this surge of RSV -- which you guys said -- very common illness among children, but it's really going to new heights this month in particular.

At this hospital here behind me, they're seeing so many kids come in that they're actually having to treat them in the hallways, and they're having about 15 to 25 borders as they call them per night. Now a border is a child who can't get admitted into the hospital so they have to actually spend the night in the hospital beds that are meant to just be just for triage. So, that's the situation that they're dealing with.

They kind of showed us a graph of the numbers that they're seeing in relation to COVID -- which of course, has been the issue mostly for these hospitals in the last few months. Well, October is the first month that the number of RSV cases have outnumbered COVID cases.

So again, this isn't just a problem in Connecticut. Certainly, it's an issue here, but the CDC said yesterday, cases of RSV are surging all across the country.

Here I'm standing actually in an area where the governor has been in communication with the hospital, the National Guard, the Department of Public Health, and they are thinking about setting up a field hospital right where we're standing, just in case the issue gets worse. Now what they're fearful of, guys, is when influenza cases go up, then they have to also deal with that in addition to the RSV cases that they are already seeing. So, the number one thing they're telling obviously patients no matter the age, get a flu shot to hopefully keep those influenza cases down. HILL: So important because we have heard too there are predictions

including from Dr. Fauci this is going to be a flu season that is definitely worse than last year's was. Brynn, appreciate it, thank you.

BLACKWELL: Well today in the U.K. the leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt announce that she is joining the race to become the next prime minister.

HILL: Britain's Conservative Party wants a new leader in place as soon as possible what may be politely described as a chaotic few weeks. Which of course, ended with the resignation of outgoing leader Liz Truss.

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CNN's Bianca Nobilo joining us now from London. So, Bianca, at this point, has anyone else formally jumped in?

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, we just have Penny Mordaunt who was the first ever female Secretary of State for Defense here in the United Kingdom. She's also impressed lately when she's been in the House of Commons deputizing for the now Prime Minister in name only Liz Truss for her sense of humor, her authority and her charisma as she performed behind the dispatch box.

But it's interesting that she's entered the race. Because there was chatter earlier on that she might try and position herself as more of a kingmaker. Because if recent tallies are correct, she is trailing behind the other two big beasts that are vying for this position. Rishi Sunak, the former chancellor and the favorite of conservative lawmakers here so far, and that blond elephant in the room, Boris Johnson who according to all reports is expecting to put his hat in the ring for a return.

But we know that Johnson doesn't like to lose, so if it doesn't seem he can meet that threshold of 100 MPs supporting him, then perhaps he won't put his name forward. But the entry of Mordaunt into the race is interesting. Because she gets her support from the center ground which means she's likely to shave off votes from both Sunak and Johnson.

And as far as the Johnson camp is concerned, they're trying to make the argument that Britain won't tolerate another Prime Minister who is not elected by the public at large -- because Johnson was the last one to be elected by the public at large back in 2019. And he's the obvious choice to bring the party back together.

But you would be forgiven for raising an eyebrow at that remark because this is a Prime Minister whose downfall was in dramatic fashion with 148 of his own lawmakers voting against him in a vote of no confidence. There's still a parliamentary investigation into whether or not he broke rules and lied to Parliament that could see him suspended. He's definitely still a controversial choice and one who inspires just as much love as loathing within the Conservative Party.

HILL: Never a dull moment with U.K. politics. That is for sure. Bianca, appreciate it. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: In Uvalde, an officer is now under investigation for his call to delay the classroom breach when the shooter was inside the room with the children. Let's go now to Delaware. Delaware State University. President Biden talking about loan relief.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good to be home. Please, if you have a seat, please take it. Folks, my mother would say, excuse my back. It's impolite to be talking when I'll my back to you. But I apologize. I can't do both.

Zach, you and I got through school in the same way. I was an RA, a resident adviser and it helped me get through law school, and I'm glad you were able to benefit from what we're doing. And I want to thank you for that introduction. You're an example of why I'm so optimistic. All of you are, so optimistic about the future. You are the most involved. You are the most educated. You are the most engaged. You are the least prejudiced generation in American history.

So, everybody says, why am I so optimistic? Not a joke. I'm optimistic because of all of you. I really mean it. So, thank you for what you are doing, and please get involved no matter what position you take. Get involved. We need you badly, and I didn't even see all of it -- I didn't see the bleachers up there. Hey, everybody.

Don't jump. Don't jump. Now look. By the way, as Tom Carpenter can tell you, I sort of got my political start at Del State. This is a place we organized for Kent and Sussex County. This is how we got going, that was back in 1871, I think, but a long time ago.

Look, but before I begin, there's a lot of people that might be wondering why I'm here at Del State. It's because you're an HBCU and you play an important role in creating opportunity and possibilities all across the country. Well, here at Del State, it holds such a special place in my heart. There is no better example of a university that has changed so many lives as Zach just explained about his.

Like I've said many times, Delaware State brung me to the dance as they say up in Claymont, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

I understand you got a big game tomorrow, Howard University. Well, I tell you what, man, in case you haven't noticed, my VP is a Howard graduate. And she is a very vociferous Howard graduate. I'm always bragging and is telling you as your president and telling him always bragging about Del State and we got a little thing going.

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And besides that, we have a lot more folks, you know, the divine nine kind of runs my operation. And you all think I'm kidding. You think I'm kidding. I'm not kidding, but I tell you what, to guarantee your win, I tried to figure out how we could do this. How to get Mike Purzycki to play for you. Mike Purzycki scored more receptions I think than any receiver in Delaware -- the University of Delaware history, and hell of a good mayor, but he was even a better ball player. But folks, look, what you got to do, I want you to win, but take it a

little easy, OK? Because I got to go back to Washington, and, you know, my vice president, extraordinary partner, I didn't go to Del State, but my heart's with you, man. So, don't let me down. Win one for coach Bo. Win one for coach Bo.

It's great to be with friends. Delaware has a great leadership, and one of the most effective congressional delegations in America. That's not hyperbole. One of the things I love about this team is we have each other's back. Governor John Carney, he's actually with me -- work for me. And look, he's now the governor. He's more important than everybody, including me because he has a wife who's an incredible writer.

Anyway, and Tommy Carper, one of my best friends from all politics, we've been again, going do this a long time, Tommy. And Chris Coombs, who has the seat I used to hold. Only difference is that he not only has a law degree, he has a divinity degree. The boy can preach.

But he can't preach as well as the next woman, Lisa Blunt Rochester. You all think I'm kidding, I'm not. Did you ever hear her? Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa. They had any back and I have theirs, and we have a great Attorney General in Kathy Jennings who worked with my son Bo. And Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall is here as well. And the Mayor Robin Christianson, thanks for welcoming us to Dover, Mr. Mayor.

And as I said, you know, Purzycki knows a lot about being mayor, but he's even a better receiver. Mr. Mayor, thank you for what you are doing for the city of Wilmington. You're making a big difference, pal. You really are making a big difference.

You know, we've got another mayor here today. She's no longer the mayor. She happens to be the head of the director of office of public engagement, Keisha Lance-Bottoms and mayor of Atlanta. Madam mayor, where are you? There she is. Two things I learned you got to know about Keisha. One, she's smarter than you. Two, she's smarter than me politically as well. That's why I hired her. It's great to see you. And welcome to Del State I have been bragging about. You know, the fact is that she's also a mayor of Atlanta but she's a Fam U grad.

And Tony, you know where the real power is, as I said with the divine nine. And speaking of the president of this great university, this guy used to work for me. Tony worked for me when I was a Senator. But then he left because he wanted to become a doctor, a PhD in public policy. But that wasn't good enough. Then he decided he wanted to be president. I got scared as hell he was going to run. But it turned out he wanted to be president of the university.

By the way, Tony, I know you told -- I told you a true story when I -- when I left the vice presidency after my -- after Bo died, I wasn't going to get involved in politics much. So, I became a full professional at the University of Pennsylvania, but before that occurred, three universities came to me and said they wanted to interview me and consider my being a president of the university.

My wife who's a professor at a community college, she has two masters and a PhD, but she's smarter than me, and she looked at me and said, if you do that, I'm leaving you. She said, it's one of the toughest jobs in America, especially if you start arguing about parking spaces and office windows. But, Tony, thanks, buddy. You're a good friend and I can't say enough good things about you.

A year ago, I signed an executive order establishing a presidential initiative to strengthen HBCUs all across America. And I appointed Tony to lead that initiative because he's the best. Tony, Keisha, Kamala and I understand the critical role HBCUs provide for all folks in this country, particularly in building -- basically a ticket to the middle class.

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HBCUs are great value for all Americans.

That's why during the pandemic, my administration did something that's never been done before. We invested $5.8 billion in HBCUs. Some suggested we couldn't get it done, but we got it done and that money already is out the door being used very well. Tony and his team used a lot of that money combined with the money from the university raise to help students at Del State with their debt, reducing the debt burden for 225 graduating seniors. That's 225 Delaware State University graduates who are going to start getting on with their lives without the burden of student debt holding them back. And that's what I want to talk about today.

Eight weeks ago, I announced that my administration could provide $10,000 in debt relief to everyone -- who has that much debt or up to that much debt -- and 20 grand if you received a Pell grant, and your income was under $125,000. It's a plan for people who took out federal student loans before July of this year. And a few days ago, I launched an online application process where you can apply for that debt relief. So. Folks, one of the things I wanted to make sure is we didn't end up where we are in a position Barack and I were in terms of the Affordable Care Act. (INAUDIBLE) it made it a little bit more difficult.

But we made sure we tested it. We tested it for a weekend to see how it worked, John, and guess what? It worked. Almost 9 million people signed on. Folks, if you have student debt, you got a time limit. Now if you have student debt, you can go to studentaid.gov. Studentaid.gov. Fill out -- it's very easy. Fill out your name, your social security number, your date of birth and contact information. No forms to upload. No special login to remember available in English and Spanish, desktop and mobile.

Folks, it takes less than five minutes. If you need additional information, we'll follow up with you. This is a game changer. We're hearing from people all over the country. Over 10,000 students have written me letters so far. Literally 10,000 so far. It was easy to apply signing up while hanging out with your friends or at home and watching a movie. The vast majority are applying on their phones, and it's easy -- it's just simply -- it's easy. Now less than a week, close to 22 million people have already given us the information to consider this live changing relief. My commitment when I ran for president of the United States that if I

was elected, I would make the government work and deliver for the people. A simple application process keeps that commitment just as I'm keeping my commitment to relieve student debt as borrowers recover from the economic crisis caused by the once in a lifetime pandemic.

And the way I think about it and the way my dad used to talk about this, the way so many at home talk about it around the kitchen table, how much are the monthly bills, and how do you have to pay for those necessities? How much do you have? Is there enough? Just for a little breathing room as my dad would say, left over at the end of the month. Our student loan plan lowers costs for Americans as they recover from a pandemic to give everybody a little more breathing room.

I want to be clear who's going to benefit most. Working people, middle class folks that earn under 125 grand. You get up to $10,000 knocked off the debt and you can earn under $125,000. You receive a Pell grant, you get 20,000 bucks knocked off. And in total, 40 million Americans stand to benefit from this relief. For borrowers out of school, nearly 90 percent -- nearly 90 percent of the relief is going to go to people making under $75,000 a year. Let me be clear, not a dime -- not a dime will go to the top 5 percent of incomes, period. It goes to people who really need it.

And cross America -- across America, nearly every Pell grant recipient comes from a family making under $60,000. Two-thirds come from families making under $30,000 a year. Here at Del State over 75 percent of the students are Pell grant recipients. That matters for millions of working and middle class people.

Now let's talk about who's against helping the millions of you who need the help, who might want to make sure you have a shot. Republican members of Congress and Republican governors are doing everything they can to deny this relief even to their own constituents. As soon as I announced my administration's plan on student debt, they started attacking it, saying all kinds of things.

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Their outrage is wrong, and it's hypocritical. But you know, we're not letting them get away with it. You know, they've been fighting us in the courts. But just yesterday state court and the Supreme Court said no. We're on Biden's side.

BLACKWELL: All right, President Biden there in Dover, Delaware at Delaware State University delivering some remarks about the student loan debt relief program. Tens of millions of people who have signed up for some of that relief, $10,000, $20,000 for those with Pell grants. The president promoting the website there and the policy 18 days before the midterms.

HILL: There you go. After a long drawn-out drama Elon Musk could soon own Twitter. And he reportedly plans to slash the majority of its employees when he takes the reins. Those details next.

[15:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: The city of Philadelphia saw a record number of homicides in 2021 at the hands of this the wrong kind no gun violence. That's a danger that Tyrique Glasgow knows well having been shoot 11 times when he was dealing drugs.

HILL: Since returning home though from prison a decade ago, he's been a true force for good providing a safe haven to local youth and much needed resources to the entire community. Meet this week's CNN hero.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TYRIQUE GLASGOW (voice-over): When you run a block, you're the one who the community people know. It's a dangerous life but it's a normal life.

Going to jail really woke me up. Our community was going to follow me for some of the negative stuff, I just said, let me see if they're going to follow me for something positive.

GLASGOW: And you can grab what you want.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Make yourself at home.

GLASGOW (voice-over): In 2019 we opened up our community engagement center which used to be a big community drug house but now it's a safe place for our children.

GLASGOW: How many people here got kids?

GLASGOW (voice-over): We provide clothing, food, vegetables, we have hot meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

GLASGOW: What's up? Want chicken? Giving people what they need not only helps them, it consistently stays safer here.

GLASGOW (voice-over): The shootings are down and the hope is up.

GLASGOW: That's what you're here for.

GLASGOW (voice-over): My relationship with the Philadelphia Police Department is cool. Seeing the officers in a different light, it builds trust and it builds confidence.

They need to see that all cops aren't bad.

It's really about your heart and what you want to do.

We're trying to create a safe haven and environment for the whole neighborhood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: To learn more about Tyrique and his work just logon to CNNheroes.com. And stay tuned. "THE LEAD" starts after this short break.

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