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Freshman NY GOP Says Santos Will Not Be On Ticket in 2024; Nikki Haley Officially Takes on Trump for GOP Presidential Bid; FDA Considers Making Nasal Spray of Narcan Easier to Get; Parents Outraged After Kids Painted in "Blackface" at Florida Daycare. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired February 15, 2023 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: And now, CNN is learning that he's already, already, looking ahead to a second term.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: So, he insists that he'll be cleared of all wrong doing as he thinks about a reelection bid. Top Republicans they have some other plans. CNN's Manu Raju is on Capitol Hill. What are you learning?

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is a real dilemma here for top Republicans here in Washington because they actually don't want him to resign right now because, if he were to do that, it would set up a special election in a district that Joe Biden carried by 8 points, something that could flip to the Democrats. But they also don't want him to run for re-election in 2024, because if he does, there is real fear that he could impact the other Republicans in the ticket. Could essentially sink some other New York Republicans. So, they want him to decide not to run at all for a second term.

Now we are learning behind the scenes that Santos is considering running for reelection. He has told that to Republicans previously signaling he wasn't going to do so. But he has changed because he believes he can beat all of the allegations of wrongdoing. He believes his treasurer will face scrutiny over his campaign finances. And he believes he will essentially deal with to push back again any looming indictment that could come down.

Now there's a different view in New York. New York Republicans, including some who are here in the House delegation, say that George Santos should not be the nominee. And they're prepared to defeat him in a primary if he decides to run.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARC MOLINARO (R-NY): George Santos will not be on any ticket in 2024.

RAJU: What makes you so confident?

MOLINARO I am very confident that, first, the investigations I think are going to produce truth and that truth might come as a surprise to Congressman Santos, but not to anyone else. And leadership and constituents in his district on Long Island have had enough. I don't see a scenario where he runs for reelection or quite frankly even completes his term.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU (on camera): Now there's a time element here that is significant. By March 14th the Federal Election Commission has asked Santos to declare whether or not he is running for reelection in order to allow him to continue fundraising going forward. So, he has to make a decision there. And if he decides to run again, even if he were indicted on federal charges -- we know he's facing investigation -- that does not force him to resign. He has to make that decision on his own, or the House could vote to expel him.

But to do that would require two thirds majority of the House. That Congressman right there, Marc Molinaro a freshman Republican from New York, told me that he would support voting to expel him. But remember, the House Republican leadership are not there quite yet, including Kevin McCarthy who believes the investigation should play out. And of course, if Santos would resign, that is a thing that he would have to defend in a special election potentially tightening McCarthy's already very narrow majority -- guys.

BLACKWELL: Manu Raju for us on Capitol Hill, thank you. Alice Stewart is CNN's political commentator, former communications director for Senator Ted Cruz. Ron Brownstein is CNN senior political analyst and senior editor at the Atlantic.

Alice -- glad I didn't say what I just almost said. The idea that George Santos is running for reelection, or considering running for reelection, based on what credentials. We don't know anything about this man, but Republicans say we want him out, but not yet. We still need that seat and that vote.

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's based on the credentials that he's made up in his mind. The problem is they're all false. Look, he says he can beat these allegations against him. He cannot beat them. He cannot beat a GOP challenger and he's not going to potentially beat legal action that is coming his way.

And I applaud the Republicans in New York state and others who are saying it's time for him to move on. It's time to look for a valid, credible primary challenger against George Santos and make sure that that seat is held by a Republican.

I've spoken with the Nassau County GOP where his district is. They are frustrated. Because they feel as though they were duped and they're also discouraged because the constituents in that district are not being served. They are not getting the value of a member of Congress that is there to help the constituents. He is so busy with his own fights against all these lies that he's not serving the constituents. And that's a true shame.

GOLODRYGA: So, Ron, someone else running on their credentials -- this is a hard transition we are going to make right now. But Nikki Haley throwing her hat in the ring as a nominee for president in 2024. Just curious -- just specifically from what you heard today in her speech, from her tone, to her language, what did you make of it?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, by the way, the Republican leaders on George Santos remind me of the dear lord make me chase, just not just yet. You know, kind of line of argument. We'd like him to be gone, but just not yet.

[15:35:00]

Nikki Haley is interesting. Because I think she really embodies the challenge that Republicans will have moved past Donald Trump in 2024. The core dynamic in the Republican race in 2016, and again in the early polling for 2024, is that in a Republican primary context, just as in the general election, Donald Trump is much stronger among voters without a college degree than he is among voters with a college degree. I

n 2016 that worked for him because he won about half of the voters without a college degree and the college-educated Republicans splintered among many alternatives. And even though two thirds oppose Trump roughly, no one was able to consolidate that block of voters and really give him a real run for his money in the primaries.

The challenge that's emerging again is that many of the candidates who are stepping out as potential 2024 rivals, like Nikki Haley, like Chris Sununu, like Glenn Youngkin, like Larry Hogan, all of them may be better suited for that white collar Republican audience. I think today per argument is about generational change, a new generation of leaders. I mean, I think those arguments that are primarily going to appeal to that white collar Republican side of the party. And again, the risk that they will fractionate and leave Trump with his control of the blue-collar side in a commanding position.

The other quick point, she's talking about generational change in a party that is not only very white but also very grave. At least two thirds of the voters in almost all of the key states are 45 and older, three quarters and some of them.

BLACKWELL: Ron, I'm going to stick with you on this point of age. Because I remember during -- I think is was one of the early debates for the Democrats when representative Eric Swalwell made a hard generational argument. They booed him not only off the stage but out of the primary race. So, for her to suggest this test for anyone over 75 when Republican voters are historically older than the Democratic base, older than Democratic voters, primary older in general and older overall in these races, is she hitting that age thing a little too hard?

BROWNSTEIN: Well it's kind of -- is it almost to cute, right. I mean, 60 percent of Republicans votes in the general election -- the presidential election -- now come from white voters over 45 roughly. That's kind of the share. And as I said, in these primaries in states like Iowa and South Carolina and Georgia, in Tennessee, we're talking about somewhere between two thirds and three quarters of the Republican voters are over 45. Obviously she's aiming primarily at President Biden in that, but

Donald Trump gets caught in the blast radius as well. There will be some audience, Victor, I think in both parties to the idea that we do need a generational transition. I mean, the idea of having Trump against all Biden again, 160 years candidate age, with is long ability Emancipation Proclamation is an unappealing prospect for many voters. I think the question for Haley is more, can she expand beyond a kind of a narrow -- a relatively narrow beachhead of almost on the country club Republicans in the past.

BLACKWELL: Alice, you spoke to the Haley team today about the plan, about the focus. What did you learn?

STEWART: They were very encouraged by the feedback they've received from her speech today and the reception in the crowd. Look, she gave a very positive, uplifting message of looking to American pride and looking to the future. And often times it's hard to gauge what really resonated with the crowd if you're not there. They were specifically pleased with how the audience responded with her talk about a generational change, saying it's time to get away from the stale names and ideas of the past.

And also a key point of applause in the group was when she talked about American is not past its prime, but many politicians are past their prime. And that's the key message that she will have moving forward. Look, I think it's great to have more people in this race, a robust Republican primary is great for democracy. And it's also great for the party. The key is to make sure that everyone go out to these early states, test your message, test your ability to connect with the people and in the end galvanize behind one candidate that is not Donald Trump. Because that's how we win a general election.

BLACKWELL: All right, let's wrap up there Alice Stewart, Ron Brownstein, there are now two on the Republican side. Thank you both.

GOLODRYGA: I still want to know what you were about to say. Tell me in the break.

BLACKWELL: Yes, I'll tell you during the break.

GOLODRYGA: Coming up, the FDA is considering making Narcan, the opioid overdose antidote, available without prescription. We'll have the potential impact for you ahead.

[15:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: FDA advisers are now considering making the nasal spray version of Narcan, the opioid overdose antidote, easier to get.

BLACKWELL: CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here with some of the pros and some of the cons. So, what do you know?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: So, Victor, I think it's pretty likely that they might actually take this step. We don't know yet, but there's a lot of momentum towards making it easier to get Narcan or Naloxone -- that's the generic name for it.

So, the way that it works now, if you want that, you can go into a pharmacy and ask the pharmacist for it. You don't need to have a prescription, but you do have to take that extra step of asking the pharmacist for it. And that's a little bit of a barrier in many ways. Some people really don't want to do that. They might be embarrassed. They might not know that they can do it.

[15:45:00]

So, what these FDA advisers are looking at is, can we just put it on the shelf just like aspirin is on the shelf or shampoo is on the shelf? That's what the FDA is reviewing. And that means it wouldn't just be in drugstores, it would also be in supermarkets, gas stations, it can really conceivably be everywhere. And this is so important.

Let's take a look at some new statistics just out from the CDC. It is so disturbing to see these numbers. If we look at October 2021 through September of 2022, U.S. drug overdose deaths more than 106,000 people died during that one-year period. Now that's actually relatively low where it's been in the past couple of years. But it's 50 percent higher than it was three years ago. That's in large part due to fentanyl, which is unfortunately made, you know caused so many deaths. Also overdose deaths from amphetamines, also from cocaine -- Victor, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: All right, Elizabeth Cohen, could be a significant move, thank you.

BLACKWELL: Parents in Miami are understandably outraged after they say daycare workers painted their kids' faces in black face for black history month. Details next.

[15:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Religious leaders and activists from around the country are protesting in Florida over the state's latest attempt to ban black history in schools.

Last month, Florida rejected the high school advanced placement course on African American studies claiming course is contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.

BLACKWELL: Now the course is part of a pilot program for 60 schools across the U.S. and put together by the college board, that's the same group behind the S.A.T. The board says Florida's decision was politically motivated.

A daycare in Miami is being scrutinized and criticized after a teacher had her children in black face to celebrate Black History Month.

Some of these children are just toddlers. CNN's Athena Jones has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COURTNEY POLITIS, PULLED CHILDREN OUT OF DAYCARE: I got a call, flabbergasted. There's no words. I'm, like, is this even real?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is how a daycare in Miami celebrated black history month, a classroom full of 2-year-olds in black face.

POLITIS: Where are the checks and balances, right, so nothing like this happens.

JONES (voice-over): Courtney Politis, whose 1-year-old daughter attended the daycare but was not in this particular class, says she was horrified when another parent at the school shared these photos posted on the daycare's app. They have been removed.

POLITIS: I get a phone call from a close mom friend whose child also goals to the school, and she's, like, oh, my gosh, you won't believe what she's done in our child's class. I'm sickened right now. There are no words. And I'm like, well tell me. She said, well they painted all the children's face black face and sent messages out saying happy Black History Month.

JONES (voice-over): She reached out to the daycare owner and director Patricia Vitale that same day.

POLITIS: And immediately sending the screen shot over to her and I let her know, this is racist. Her response, I'm sorry? I don't understand. What are you saying? What is racist? Black face. In our school, we don't use this word. We have this kind of mind.

JONES (voice-over): As a mother of two young biracial children, Politis says it's hard to protect them.

POLITIS: I thought we would have more time before these sorts of things or racism or microaggressions would have to be experienced by our children.

JONES: Reached by CNN, Vitale declined to comment. But in a message sent to parents the day of the incident, Vitale wrote: We have received comment from one of our parents regarding the activity that was done in the teacher's class for the Black History Month. We have not intended to offend anyone, and we're very sorry about any inconvenience.

The following Monday, Vitale sent another message about improving the training of daycare staff.

Following the Black history month incident. We want to let all the parents know that we met on Friday afternoon with all the teachers and staff. We went over several ethical and multicultural educational points. I will teach them in class covering all the necessary topics regarding U.S. history and multicultural education. You may rest assured this will never happen again.

But that promise wasn't enough for Politis. She's pulled her two children out of two separate branches of the Studio Kids Daycare and is looking for another childcare provider.

POLITIS: Bottom line is we can't trust them with our children.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES (on camera): And that really is the bottom line. She wants to find a placement and administration at a school she can trust to educate and care for her children properly. She says she's looking for a more diverse student body, all kinds of diversity, religious and ethnic. She also said she doesn't understand why this happened, how it could slip through the cracks. She says she understands teachers have the freedom to choose their activities.

But at another school, another location to celebrate Black History Month, the teachers -- the students were painting traffic signals. They were learning about Garrett Morgan, a black inventor who got one of the first patent for the traffic signal in 1923. So, there activity was to paint traffic signals. This school dress these kids up in different professions, painted their faces black and call that a celebration of Black History Month.

BLACKWELL: And then the teacher had no idea why that would be offensive.

JONES: And she's the same person who's now going to teach the team about these multicultural issue in U.S. history. So, she's going to be learning as she teaches. It's outrageous.

GOLODRYGA: We'll see if more parents respond and pull their kids out just like this mother did. Athena, thank you so much.

BLACKWELL: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, against all odds, rescuers in Turkey continue to find survivors. The latest miracle, a mother and her two children pulled alive from the rubble more than nine days since the earthquake.

[15:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: So, Victor when you think of iconic pairing, do you think of butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese and now may be Pepsi and Peeps.

BLACKWELL: OK, so, a lot on this. So, let me just finish what they've written. The soft drink giant hopes you like that pairing. It's teaming up with a maker of the classic candy, the great Pepsi and Peeps. This isn't the first time that this drink has been available.

[16:00:00]

There were a few thousand cans given away at a contest a few years ago, but now you can buy them at least for a limited time.

GOLODRYGA: You going to buy them? BLACKWELL: No. But what is with sodas trying to add other stuff to it?

We had Pilk and now there's --

GOLODRYGA: Pepsi clear. What was that?

BLACKWELL: Not Pepsi clear, were talking about the new like -- poor something in your diet or your Pepsi.

GOLODRYGA: Oh, yes. No, you drink a soda to drink a soda. That's sort of what it's more like that, right? You're going to go get a Peep.

BLACKWELL: I am not.

GOLODRYGA: "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.