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Candidates Make Final Pitches to Voters With Just 15 Days to Elections; U.S. Pediatric Hospital Beds Filling Up as Respiratory Illness Surges; Jury Selection Begins in Tax Fraud Against Trump Org. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired October 24, 2022 - 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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[10:00:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. Nice to have you with us, I'm Erica Hill n this very busy Monday morning.

Election Day, if you're not counting, we are, don't worry, just 15 days away, early voting though already breaking records in at least one battleground state. And this week, there will be a number of major debates in key matchups around the country. First up is Florida where Incumbent Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is set to square off with his Democratic challenger, Charlie Crist, tonight. We'll have much more on that in just a moment.

We're also following this unprecedented rise, a nationwide surge in RSV cases among children, why the respiratory illness is putting so much pressure on hospitals, some states even now in crisis mode. We're going to take you inside one Texas hospital that's been inundated.

And happening right now, jury selection is underway here in New York City, the Trump Organization facing several felony charges. We're going to be live outside of the courthouse with an update on that for you.

Let's start this hour though with reporter CNN Political Reporter Dan Merica. So, Dan, 15 days, as I know you know all too well, until Election Day. We are seeing some really impressive turnout numbers when it comes to early voting in several key states. What are you going to be watch in the next two weeks as we lead up to the official Election Day?

DAN MERICA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes. I mean, this is a critical week, both because people are already voting, as you note. That is why all of these campaigns are investing tons in Get Out the Vote efforts, going to doors, standing on corners, making sure that their voters, the voters they think will back them, are getting to the polls. And then also, rhetorically, it really matters, because, as you noted, there's a lot of ads being playing all over the country, in markets all over the country. And so that's going to mean more people are plugged in. This is the time when they may be listening to your message and that is why this week is so central. And the debates also matter because people are paying attention. So, number of high-profile debates in governor's contests today, you have debates in Maine and Florida, as you mentioned, the Crist/DeSantis debate. Tuesday, you have Michigan and New York. Thursday, you, again, have Maine. And Friday, you have a debate in Minnesota.

On the Senate side, Tuesday, you have Colorado and the key Senate debate in Pennsylvania. Thursday, you have a debate in Alaska and another key race in New Hampshire. And then Friday, again, in Colorado.

I want to key in on that Pennsylvania debate because that is the match-up between Democrat Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz. As you've noted on this show many times before, Fetterman had a stroke in May, was off the campaign trail for a few months, and has returned kind of full swing campaigning. We've seen him get a lot the better. His speech got a lot better. He still has some auditory processing issues. That has put a lot of pressure on this debate. This is the one and only debate in this contest. And you've seen Republicans kind of seize on that, the fact that Fetterman has not debated more, putting a lot of pressure on this debate.

Fetterman actually spoke about his recovery on Saturday in Chester County and focused on crime. Take a listen to how he framed the debate over crime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GOV. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): He literally doesn't have a plan, other than to talk, and that is been a hallmark of his campaign. Just not any plans, just cheap photo ops or just empty kinds of arguments.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MERICA: Now, Erica, why does this matter? It's because on Monday morning, this morning, Dr. Oz put out a crime plan, somewhat responding to Fetterman there. So, that is that everyone is jockeying for position going into the debate. That is why this debate is going to be so critical on Tuesday night.

HILL: Yes, it will certainly get a lot of attention. Dan, I appreciate it. Thank you.

As we head into this final stretch, as we were just talking about, voters are being inundated with messaging and political ads. And I hope you're sitting down. This may come as a shock. Some of those political ads may be misleading. It is true. A CNN fact check found some Democrats have been the subject of attack ads that incorrectly suggest they support defunding the police. That, of course, is a phrase that became common at this point, really gaining steam during the racial justice protests in 2020. What it means, of course, varies from person-to-person.

So, as we start to look at some of these different ads, let's tackle this one topic in particular. CNN's Daniel Dale reviewed a number of ads for a new piece on cnn.com. So, first off, let's take a look at an example. This is from California's third congressional district, Democrat Kermit Jones was targeted by this ad.

[10:05:01]

This is from his from his Republican opponent, Kevin Kiley.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And if Pelosi has her way, Jones will join her to defund the police and raise the gas tax even higher. Kermit Jones, he's not with us. He's with Pelosi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: So, what is the real story there on the records?

DANIEL DALE, CNN REPORTER: This is a double dose of nonsense. It is pure fiction conjured from thin air. Not only does this candidate, Jones of California, himself oppose defunding the police, but we know that Speaker Pelosi has repeatedly dismissed that concept. She's done that in public and in interviews. Listen to two of her comments one from this year and one from back in 2020.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): That is not the position of the Democratic party. Community safety to protect and defend in every way is our oath of office.

Funding a police is a local matter, as you know. From the standpoint of our legislation, we're not going to that place. What we're doing is talking about how we change policies to make our policing more just.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DALE: And it is not just words under Pelosi's speakership, Democrats have passed laws to provide additional funding to police, not to defund. So, again, this ad is just completely made-up.

HILL: Completely made-up but it gets a lot of attention, right? And that phrase certainly does. And you have another example out of Virginia, also a congressional race. Former CIA Officer Abigail Spanberger is the target here, a group that's called Moms for Safe Streets. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And Abigail Spanberger joins AOC's effort to defund the police. Spanberger sold out our brave men and women in law enforcement for a political contribution of $5,000 from AOC.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: So, what's the record there? DALE: The record is that Congresswoman Spanberger is one of the -- if not, the most aggressive, vehement Democrat house opponents of defunding the police. She told her colleagues that it is ridiculous, she's asked them to never use that phrase again. She's a former CIA officer and before that, a former employee of the postal services, law enforcement agency. So, again, this is fiction. And listen to what Congresswoman Spanberger has said about a bill that provides additional funding to police.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ABIGAIL SPANBERGER (D-VA): The Invest to Protect Act would help get the job done of ensuring that police departments, particularly those like I represent in smaller and rural communities, have the ability to recruit and retain officers. This legislation invests in officer safety. It invests in domestic violence response training. It invests in funding the police departments, like those I represent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DALE: So, what does -- what does this ad base its defund the police claim on? Well, it misrepresents one of her votes. In small text, that tiny text you see at the bottom of the screen, it cites a vote she took in favor of a police reform bill. That is not a defunding bill. It promotes changes to hopefully reduce police misconduct, it does not cut funding to police. But this ad, without explanation, tries to cite it as a defund example when it's absolutely not.

HILL: Daniel dale, with 15 days until the midterms, you have your work cut out for you in terms of your fact checks coming up ahead. I appreciate it. Thank you.

DALE: Thank you.

HILL: Well, today, we've been talking a lot about early voting in Georgia, kicks off today in Florida, and there is a major debate tonight. Joining me now to talk about all things midterms, former Republican Congress Francis Rooney. Good to see you this morning. Nice to have you with us.

So, we look at this debate and a lot of focus is on this debate not just in the state of Florida but, frankly, I think plenty of national attention as well. At this point, is Charlie Crist's turn as governor for the state of Florida in the past, is it a strength or a vulnerability for him going into tonight's debate?

FMR. REP. FRANCIS ROONEY (R-FL): Well, I think Ron DeSantis is a clear frontrunner here. The question for Ron is how much money does he have to spend to dust off Crist.

HILL: Meaning what? To dust him off, meaning is there any room, when you say that and when we look at heading into this, is there any wiggle room for undecided voters tonight? You think there are still some votes that can be won over two weeks out?

ROONEY: I don't think there's a lot of wiggle room. I think that Ron is a pretty well-known quantity now. He did what he said he would do about education. And he's done a great job on Hurricane Ian, better than some previous hurricane response preparedness activities. And I think that he's even becoming stronger with Hispanics in the state of Florida. The whole movement of Hispanics towards Republicans is a whole separate subject.

HILL: So, when we look at then, based on your assessment, his strength heading into this debate with two weeks left to go until Election Day, early voting starting now, you believe it is his race to lose?

ROONEY: Yes, I definitely do.

[10:10:00]

Remember, he carried a lot of black mothers because he promised to straighten out education, and he's done it. So, I think he'll carry them again. There were other 300,000 more Republican votes at Dade County in the presidential election, most of which came from Doral, which is Venezuelans. I think that Ron will do better with a lot of Hispanics as well.

HILL: When we broaden out a little bit here, so much in politics has changed at this point in 2020, including debates. We're seeing fewer of them in different states. You are seeing candidates on both sides say, I'm not going to debate any more. How important are debates in 2022 for voters?

ROONEY: Well, I think it would be a real shame for candidates to shy away from debating. That is a good opportunity for voters to see how they do under pressure, how they could respond and think on your feet and other matters that are germane to whether they'll be good at their job or not.

HILL: Do you think it should be a requirement for candidates?

ROONEY: I don't know if you could require particular candidate behavior. But the voters sure ought to punish people that refuse to debate. And the media should too.

HILL: When we look at -- listen, we love a good debate, as you know. I don't need to tell you that. When we look at nationwide, what we're seeing, there are some real chances. There are a number of election deniers on ballots in your party and there are real chances that they could win some of these races in some states, they could end up actually controlling elections. Do you think the Republican Party is doing enough to push back on those lies or is this simply more about gaining seats?

ROONEY: Well, I would prefer that the Republican Party abandon these election deniers and recognize, as I've written, that the election was legitimately won by President Biden and move forward on a positive series of policy points that would improve the lives of every day Americans, like dealing with inflation, out of control spending, really dealing with China instead of this on again, off again effort to deal with them. We have got a lot of things to do in this country and I think Republicans have historically good approaches to them. But right now, it is all confused by this cloud of Trump.

HILL: You say it is confused by the cloud of Trump. There is also this looming turf war in Florida potentially between Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump. Do you think that could impact the governor's chances at all?

ROONEY: I think that as things stand right now, think Ron would give a -- a re-elected Ron would give Donald Trump a real run for his money in Florida, and maybe some other places as well. I'm not sure that Glenn Youngkin couldn't give Trump a good run for his money as well.

HILL: Well, we'll be watching and I'm sure we would talk to you about it. Nice to see you this morning, thank you.

ROONEY: Thanks for having me on.

HILL: Up next here, strained pediatric hospitals, worried parents, what you need to know this morning about that surge in cases of this respiratory illness known as RSV.

Plus, a critical day in court for the Trump Organization, jury selection beginning now in a tax fraud trial beginning against the family business, what could it mean. We're live outside of the courthouse.

And Britain's next top politician we know who the new Prime Minister will be. So, who is he?

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HILL: This morning, a surge in RSV, that's a children's respiratory illness, has many hospitals around the country sounding the alarm. Data right now shows pediatric bed capacity across the country is at the highest level in the last few years of pandemic. An estimated 74 percent of beds currently filled.

CNN's Rosa Flores is at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. It's the nation's largest pediatric medical center. There are dozens of RSV cases there this morning. So, Rosa, what more are you hearing from the folks there inside?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Erica, there is so much concern right now by parents who have young children. Here at Texas Children's Hospital alone, there are 40 children who are hospitalized with RSV, including ten who are in pediatric ICU.

But here is what doctors will tell you, especially for parents. It is not a time to panic. It is a not a time to be too concerned. What you have to do, according to doctors, is you have to observe your child. You know your child best, know the symptoms, and if your child needs help, go and seek medical attention.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHEN BALKA, FATHER OF CHILD WITH RSV: He was born on August the 24th.

FLORES: What is he like?

BALKA: A ball of joy.

FLORES (voice over): Little Adrian was health when all of a sudden --

BALKA: He was struggling to breathe. He was struggling to cough at the same time.

FLORES: Then his dad, Stephen Balka, noticed pauses in his breathing that lasted for seven seconds.

BALKA: It got bad quick.

FLORES: Balka remembers fearing the worst as he rushed to hospital.

BALKA: There is no way to describe it. I mean, it was a terrifying situation. It was heartbreaking.

FLORES: At seven weeks old, little Adrian was admitted into the pediatric intensive care unit and diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus or RSV, a common respiratory disease that is spreading at unusually high levels and could be severe in babies and young children, according to the CDC.

Dr. Melanie Kitagawa says more than 40 children are hospitalized at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, including more than ten in pediatric ICU.

DR. MELANIE KITAGAWA, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL PEDIATRIC ICU: It is awful. It is terrible to have any family go through this.

FLORES: Nine-month-old Kowa (ph) is on a ventilator, and the pumps by him are filled with medication to keep him comfortable.

[10:20:06]

Down the hall, seven-month-old Myles (ph) was flown from Beaumont, a city 85 miles from Houston, where the local hospital didn't have a pediatric ICU, says his dad.

What are the treatments available?

KITAGAWA: So, it is going to be symptom management to give their body time to fight this off and clear the virus.

FLORES: She also says Texas Children's Hospital started seeing the spike in cases last month. But hospitals across the country have been overwhelmed by various viral respiratory illnesses, including COVID and the flu, for months. Children's Health Care of Atlanta has had a surge tent up since August. Connecticut Children's Hospital converted play rooms into patient rooms. This is as recent CDC data representing only 9 percent of the population showed over 7,000 RSV cases in one week alone, the highest one-week total in the past two years. How do you think that he got RSV?

BALKA: His sister is in school. She started having a cough.

FLORES: Balka says his four-year-old daughter, Trinity, got RSV. And days later, little Adrian did too. Some pediatricians believe that the spread of RSV gained speed as children returned to school and brought the virus home. Doctors say parents should be on the lookout for symptoms, like running nose, decreased appetite, coughing, sneezing, fever and wheezing. And while there is no vaccine to reduce the strain on hospitals, Dr. Kitagawa says parents can teach think children good hygiene and --

KITAGAWA: The flu vaccine is incredibly important.

BALKA: I talk to him all the time and just let him know that I'm here. Hey, look, I'm here, cover is little feet up.

FLORES: Little Adrian has been on a ventilator for a week. His sister has fully recovered.

What would you tell parents who are watching this story?

BALKA: Don't wait. Do not wait. If you feel as if something is wrong with your child, you know your child better than anyone does. Get your child help immediately.

FLORES: And then be patient because recovery doesn't happen overnight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FLORES (on camera): Now, Dr. Kitagawa also says that parents should know that doctors are familiar with RSV. It is not like back in 2020 when COVID was new and there was a lot that we didn't know about the actual illness of COVID. Doctors are familiar with this. And so, Erica, what Dr. Kitagawa says and people here at Texas Children's Hospital is that what hospitals are doing is they're taking mitigating measures to make sure the E.R.s are open for the most vulnerable and the children that are the most sick.

HILL: Yes, so that they can get the care they need. Your heart just breaks for that beautiful family. Rosa, thank you, I appreciate the reporting.

Avoiding a circus, that is the goal of the January 6 committee if former President Trump does agree to testify. The question, of course, will he even agree to be in the room.

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[10:25:00]

HILL: Right now, jury selection is underway in the Manhattan district attorney's criminal tax fraud trial against the Trump Organization. The former president's company has been charged with nine counts in connection with an alleged scheme stretching back to 2005 to compensate executives off the books.

CNN's Kara Scannell is outside of the court right now. So, Kara, important to point out, the former president was not personally indicted in this case but there is some exposure here for the organization itself for the business.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that is right, Erica. Important to note that former President Donald Trump is not charged in this case and he's not expected to be implicated during this trial. But this is the indictment and the trial of the company that he built from the ground up. If the company is convicted, maximum it could face a fine of $1.6 million. But what is unknown is what kind of collateral consequences there could be. Could they have a more difficult time finding business partners or getting financing?

Of course, that is all very premature since today is jury selection, and the first panel of jurors is being called right now at 10:30, the judge had a little pre-hearing with the attorneys. He said he's going to tell the jury that this trial will last between five and six weeks. Prosecutors say that they will need about ten court days to put on their case. The attorney for the Trump Organization saying that they intend to call one witness, that is an expert witness, but they may call some of the witnesses on the government's list if they don't call them. So, roundabout, we're looking at five to six weeks here.

So, the first panel of juries will get underway now with this questioning. It is expected to last several days until they're able to find at least 12 jurors and alternates. As a reminder the Trump Organization is charged with nine counts, including grand larceny, tax frauds and filing false filings. The company has pleaded not guilty.

And we do expect to hear from several Trump Organization insiders called as witnesses, including the former chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg. He has pleaded guilty to 15 counts. He is cooperating in this trial, meaning that he is going to answer questions when called as a government witness, but he is also, according to his attorney, been meeting with lawyers for the Trump Organization. So, a lot will ride on what his testimony is. But first up is jury selection, which is just starting just about now with the first panel of jurors, for potential jurors being called in, Erica.

[10:30:03]

HILL: Day 1, and as you noted, Kara, this could take a little while to get that jury seated. Kara, I appreciate it. Thank you.