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CNN This Morning
Dr. Mandy Cohen is Interviewed about Covid and the CDC; Sanders Leads Colorado into Limelight; Fox's Grip on GOP Party Today. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired September 22, 2023 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:30:00]
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: Way through the college football world. They have a big test against Oregon this weekend. I think SC next weekend. Can Coach Prime pull off the upset?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEION SANDERS, COACH, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO: Who ready?
CROWD: I'm ready.
SANDERS: Who ready?
CROWD: I'm ready.
SANDERS: Who ready?
CROWD: I'm ready.
SANDERS: Well, give me my darn theme music then, deejay.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL) AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: How good has CDC done, with all due respect, over the last few years? How many people trust CDC at this point?
I was in the trenches during Covid. They were citing flimsy studies saying that masks will stop Covid.
One of the things that I said is, when I come in, we're going to have a reckoning about all these Covid policies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Those are words spoken this week by Republican presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. During the height of the pandemic Americans' trust in the CDC slipped compared to other government agencies as changing science around the coronavirus led to shifting CDC guidelines. In 2022 (ph), a Kaiser Family Foundation poll found more than a quarter of Americans still don't trust the agency to provide reliable information about Covid vaccines. Even the former CDC director said this about the CDC's Covid response.
[08:35:03]
Quote, "to be frank, we are responsible for some pretty dramatic, pretty public mistakes, from testing to data to communications."
And while most Americans have moved on from Covid, if you look at the numbers, the virus, of course, is still here. Hospitalizations have been on the rise since July with weekly admissions now more than triple what they were just two months ago.
Joining us now for her very first CNN interview, the new CDC director, Dr. Mandy Cohen.
Dr. Cohen, thank you so much for joining us this morning.
I want to start with -- we heard from Ron DeSantis. He has basically told people that 65 and over not to get the booster shot. What do you make of his comments?
DR. MANDY COHEN, CDC DIRECTOR: Well, first, Sara, thanks for having me on.
I want to make sure that Americans know that last week the CDC did recommend an updated Covid vaccine for everyone over the age of six months. These are vaccines that we've given out 600 million of these doses. We've saved so many lives. These vaccines are safe. They're effective. We want to make sure folks protect themselves going into the fall and winter season when we know we're going to see more Covid circulating.
SIDNER: We've seen a lot of misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories on -- online especially about the vaccines. And now you have a governor who is pushing some of this, saying that Floridians are being used as guinea pigs and he's just not going to allow it. What is your response to his statement?
COHEN: Well, first, I want folks to know that these vaccines have been thoroughly and independently reviewed, both by the FDA and CDC experts. I'm - but, you know, I'm not just a CDC director. I'm also a mom and a wife and a daughter. I wouldn't recommend something for the American people I wouldn't recommend for my own family. My daughters, who are nine and 11, I plan to have them get vaccinated. I'm getting vaccinated. My husband. Of course, my parents, who are over 65, are at the highest risk, certainly want them to get protected.
But really, unfortunately, Covid is still here us with. I know we all wish it would be gone. But it is here with us. But the good news is, we have tools that are safe and effective to protect ourselves.
SIDNER: It is here with us and it is still taking lives. I do want to talk to you about some of the issues that the CDC is facing because trust is really important for people to go forward and do these things, like get their booster shots. There were several issues. There was an initial faulty Covid test. There was lengthy school shutdowns that a lot of people railed against. Confusing or inaccurate guidelines on, you know, whether or not a mask is necessary, and then that changed to, yes, wear a mask, but then it was like what kind of mask should you wear, and all of those guidelines changed.
What do you think the biggest mistake of the CDC was and how do you plan to fix it?
COHEN: Well, look, we went through an historic event, right? This was a crisis that we hadn't been through before. Certainly a lot of lessons learned. I was leading the state of North Carolina, along with Governor Roy Cooper there, through the pandemic. We were certainly learning a lot and things evolved over time.
What I want to do, as CDC director, is make sure that we are building trust, that we are being transparent, we're communicating clearly, make sure that we're doing good work for the American people, that they have common sense solutions to protect themselves. And that's what I'm focused on.
SIDNER: I want to ask you about the recent uptick, because we have seen the numbers go up over the last month or so. With that recent uptick there are several school districts that are now requiring masks once again. Is that a good policy? Is that something that should be happening that we go back to masking at point?
COHEN: You know, we're in a different place than we were before. We're outside of the emergency, but Covid is still with us. And we know that we have tools to protect us. We've been talking about vaccines being one. And I hope everyone gets an updated vaccine. But we have others. Testing, treatment and other common sense solutions. And, yes, masking is one of those solutions that folks could choose to use to protect themselves from this virus.
It's important to know your own risk. Are you around folks who are older or who have underlying conditions? Then we need to use more layers of protection. The fact is, we have tools. We need to use them. And we're going to keep talking about the ways folks can protect themselves.
SIDNER: Do you think that this is a good recommendation, that schools should be masking now? As I said, there are several schools, I think Maryland one of them, where they're saying, OK, now you have to mask again.
COHEN: Well, look, we want folks to be reacting to what they're seeing on the ground in their community and making sure that they're protecting themselves. We want folk to know that there are tools that they can use. But there are - are more things than masks. Remember, ventilation. Don't forget your vaccine. Wash your hands. Stay home when you're sick. These are layers of tools that we have right now. And we want to just empower folks to use those tools and - and support them in any way we can.
SIDNER: I do want to ask you about the vaccines and how well -- I mean how well do they work, and do they actually help reduce transmissions of the virus at all, this latest vaccine?
COHEN: Yes. So, we know that these vaccines are safe and they're effective at preventing the worst of what Covid can bring to you, and that is putting you in the hospital or dying.
[08:40:06]
Unfortunately, we're still seeing hundreds of people over 65 dying each week with Covid. We have about 20,000 folks in the hospital right now with Covid. So, what the vaccine can do is protect you from the worst of what Covid is.
But remember, the vaccine, early data is showing us it can also prevent you from getting long Covid. It decreases your risk of getting long Covid, which is extended symptoms from that Covid virus. So, yes, protecting from the worst, but also protecting you from potential long-term symptoms from this virus, even if you have a mild case.
SIDNER: I can't help but tell you this story. I was in several hospitals at the height of this pandemic. And one of the things I heard from someone in the hospital, from one of the nurses, they said, someone came in here, they had Covid, it was really, really bad, they couldn't breathe, and the person's wife says, don't you dare give them that vaccine. It is dangerous. It is deadly. This is one of those big issues, this anti-vaccine sentiment.
Do you have a specific plan to try and combat it, and how worried are you about a rise in this anti-vaccine sentiment?
COHEN: Well, it's really important that we are communicating with folks and having longer conversations to make sure that we're addressing people's questions, that they understand the data, that we - we see -- it's why I'm sharing personally what I would recommend for my own family in terms of vaccination.
I know folks want to be healthy, that they want their families to be safe. So, we're just going to keep communicating about the good information that we know, the scientific information that we're seeing. We want to communicate as transparently as we can and answer folks' questions. We encourage folks to, you know, visit cdc.gov and get their questions answered and engage with your doctor, with a nurse practitioner. Ask good questions and make sure you're using tools to protect yourself.
SIDNER: Dr. Mandy Cohen, congratulations. You are the new CDC director. Lots of work to be done. Thank you so much for answering our questions here on CNN THIS MORNING.
COHEN: Thanks for having me, Sara.
MATTINGLY: Well, Deion Sanders, they call him prime. He's a thing.
SIDNER: (INAUDIBLE).
MATTINGLY: You may have noticed. He's completely revamped the Colorado Buffalos' football team. Already tripling their win total from last year. It's three weeks into the season, but can the Buffs and Dieon pull off their biggest win of the year this Saturday against Oregon?
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MATTINGLY: We have a big day of college football tomorrow. Go Bucs. A game a lot of people will be watching, though, Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffalos will be taking on Oregon.
[08:45:01]
Coach prime has taken college football by storm, making Colorado must- see TV.
Andy Scholes joins us now.
Andy, this is the biggest story in the sports world bar none.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes.
MATTINGLY: He was expected to turn around Colorado at some point, but I don't really know many people at all who saw it happening this fast.
SCHOLES: Yes, I mean, Phil, Sara, I mean this has just been incredible what we've witnessed so far from Coach Prime. You know, Colorado has gone from winning one gave and being the worst team in all of the power five conferences last season, to undefeated, ranked 19th in the country, and really just the talk of college football this year.
And in one off season, Deion Sanders, you know, he's orchestrated one of the biggest turnarounds the sport has ever seen. And he did it by just being the same prime time we've known for years.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEION SANDERS, COACH, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO: Who ready?
CROWD: I'm ready.
SANDERS: Who ready?
CROWD: I'm ready.
SANDERS: Who ready?
CROWD: I'm ready. SANDERS: Well, give me my darn theme music then, deejay.
SCHOLES (voice over): The Colorado Buffalos have taken college football by storm this season thanks to one man, Coach Prime.
SANDERS: Here we come to get you! Let's go!
SCHOLES: After three seasons coaching HBCU Jackson State, Deion Sanders instantly transforming Colorado into the most entertaining team in college football, and he did it by being unapologetically himself.
SANDERS: I make a difference. I truly make a difference. I make folks nervous, man. I get folks moving in their seat. I get folks twiddling their thumbs. I get them thinking and second guessing themself.
SCHOLES: First thing Coach Prime did after getting the job, he told all the players he inherited to leave.
SANDERS: I want y'all to get ready to go ahead and jump in that (INAUDIBLE).
SCHOLES: Coach prime overhauling the Buffalos' roster, bringing in 86 new players this season. And critics said his in your face brutally honest method would never work.
JASON WHITLOCK, OUTKICK: Everything Deion has been doing has been putting a target on his team's back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn't like Deion in, you know, to give guys a bunch of pink slips.
TOM LUGINBILL, ESPN: For all the hoopla and all of the hype going into the offseason with Deion Sanders at Colorado, it does not mask the fact that they don't have any players on that roster.
SCHOLES: But Sanders continues to prove them wrong.
SANDERS: Do you believe now (ph)?
SCHOLES: And Coach Prime has completely changed Colorado's culture, bringing unprecedented excitement.
PEGGY COPPUM, 98-YEAR-OLD COLORADO SUPERFAN: I'm Peggy.
SANDERS: Peggy, how you doing?
COPPUM: Are you prime?
SANDERS: That's what they call me.
COPPUM: Do I call you that or Deion?
SANDERS: It doesn't matter. You call me anything you want.
COPPUM: Oh, well, how about good looking?
SCHOLES: Even 98-year-old Colorado super fan Peggy Coppum, who has rarely missed a game since 1940, can't believe what Coach Prime has brought to Boulder.
COPPUM: It's absolutely unbelievable. All this attention that one man has brought to this town, this program.
SCHOLES: For the first time ever, Colorado has completely sold out of tickets and the school says merchandise sales are up 819 percent from last season.
Rapper Lil Wayne led the team out of the tunnel before last week's thrilling win over rival Colorado State. That was after The Rock was in attendance as Boulder hosted ESPN's "College Gameday."
THE ROCK, ESPN'S "COLLEGE GAMEDAY": He's changing the face of college football and he's doing it his way. But he's also doing it in a way that - and this is - this is the hard part, that is galvanizing not only a town in Boulder, Colorado, but also galvanizing an entire country.
SANDERS: Yes. Wow. You're going to make me cry, man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) recruits, did you hear him say -
SCHOLES: Two recruits that have helped Coach Prime's instant success in the Rockies are two of his sons. Shedeur is the team's star quarterback, Shilo, a defensive back, who wears dad's iconic number 21.
SANDERS: I believe.
CROWD: I believe.
SANDERS: I believe.
CROWD: I believe.
SANDERS: I believe.
CROWD: I believe.
SCHOLES: Fans have known Deion Sanders for decades as one of the best athletes ever. But is he now the best coach in college football?
SANDERS: Let me see a mirror so I can look at it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You feel that?
SANDERS: Well, you think I'm going to sit up here and tell you somebody else? You think that's the way I operate? That somebody else got that on me?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHOLES: Yes, Colorado 21-point underdogs tomorrow afternoon as they play at tenth ranked Oregon. The Ducks, they're scoring 58 points per game so far this season. But I tell you what, Phil and Sara, you know, if Coach Prime can somehow pull off that upset, I mean, it would be hard to argue that he is the best.
SIDNER: (INAUDIBLE).
Andy, what would be your theme music exactly? I'm going to ask you yours, so get ready.
MATTINGLY: Yes.
SIDNER: What would be your theme music, Andy Scholes?
SCHOLES: Oh, me? I don't know. It wouldn't be as cool as Deion's, though, I promise you that.
SIDNER: I mean -
MATTINGLY: Andy, I throughout you had it set up Lil Wayne was going to come into the studio at the end. That was kind of what I had my hopes on for a Friday.
SCHOLES: Yes, he was -- he was booked, actually, already, for this morning, so -
MATTINGLY: Oh, next week. All right. Well, when they beat Oregon, then he'll come in. That's great.
SIDNER: Then he'll come. That's cool.
MATTINGLY: Andy's got us, man. Andy's got us.
I appreciate it, buddy. Thank you.
SIDNER: Great story.
SCHOLES: All right.
SIDNER: All right.
Ahead, Rupert Murdoch stepping down as the chairman of Fox and News Corp. A look at just how powerful his influence in Fox News has been on Republican voters. That just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:53:01]
MATTINGLY: Well, one of the world's most influential media moguls is calling it quits. Ninety-two-year-old Rupert Murdoch, who built and oversaw a powerful right-wing news empire, announced that he will step down as chairman of Fox and News Corps, passing the torch to his eldest son Locklan, who will become the sole chairman of both companies.
But is Fox's grip on the Republican Party as powerful as it once was?
Joining us now, CNN's senior data reporter Harry Enten.
Harry, give me the number. HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: All right, this morning's
number is two because Donald Trump has skipped or will skip two Republican debates on either Fox News or Fox Business. He don't care about Fox News and Fox Business. Why is that?
Well, take a look here. News source GOP voters turn to most. And 74 percent say not Fox News. Now, the plurality leader is Fox News at 26 percent, but the fact is, most Republicans are, in fact, not tuning to Fox News as its main news source. Other follow-ups, social media, 12 percent, broadcast networks at 11 percent. But I think that this is a key number to keep in mind going forward 74 percent of Republican likely voters say the news source they turn to most is not Fox News.
SIDNER: But I guess the other question to flip that is, does Fox News need Donald Trump?
ENTEN: Yes. This is what I would say is absolutely Fox News needs Donald Trump more than Donald Trump needs Fox News. Why is that? Fox News GOP voters love Trump. His favorable rating amongst them, 85 percent. Look at the primary vote share he's getting with them nationally. The vast majority, 60 percent, are going for him, which, of course, is very different from what we saw on the other slide, which was the vast majority of GOP voters are not, in fact, tuning into Fox News as their main news source.
But I will note this. All right, we had a New Hampshire poll you spoke about earlier today.
MATTINGLY: Yes.
ENTEN: We covered the Republican primary results yesterday. Trump's primary vote share in New Hampshire by media usage, overall it's 39 percent. You see here, Fox News, he gets 43 percent of that vote. But take a look. This is -- Fox News is not where the biggest Trumpees are tuning in. They're tuning into News Max, look at that, 76 percent, and take a look here, Joe Rogan at 65 percent.
[08:55:04]
So, the fact is, we have a much more fractured news landscape that Republicans are tuning into. And the biggest fans of Trump are saying, you know what, Fox News is fine, but we prefer to go to another source.
SIDNER: Wow.
Harry Enten, thank you so much for all of those numbers.
ENTEN: Thank you.
MATTINGLY: Thanks, buddy.
SIDNER: All right, this week's CNN Hero watched as her teenage son Nik lost his battle to cancer. The one bright spot, though, during his treatment was his Make A Wish trip to Hawaii. When Nik found out that kids can age out of Make A Wish, he was devastated. The night before he passed away, though, he asked his mom to make sure older kids can still get their wish.
So, this mom has dedicated her life to granting once in a lifetime experiences to young adult cancer fighters ages 18 to 24. For her, it's all about bringing a little bit of joy. Meet Kelli Ritschel Boehle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLI RITSCHEL BOEHLE, CNN HERO: Clamp is in place. Are we all ready?
Guess what, Abby, come on out here, if you can.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my gosh.
BOEHLE: Congratulations! Yay! Surprise!
When I get to see somebody saying, ah, my wish was granted.
You are going to go to Hawaii!
Sometimes there's tears, sometimes there's joys, there's hoots and hollers.
Did we surprise you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You really did. Oh, my God.
BOEHLE: But, for me, it's Nik smiling down and saying, thank you, mom. Thank you, mom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My health has been getting worse. So, this is just everything to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: Well, to learn more about Kelli's work and watch as one young woman gets her wish to go to a Taylor Swift concert, go to cnnheroes.com.
That's it for us. Happy Friday. Have a great weekend.
"CNN NEWS CENTRAL" continues with all of the news right after this break.
SIDNER: See you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
