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New York County Bans Unvaccinated Minors from Public Places; Only One Perfect NCAA Bracket Left in the World; Betsy DeVos Proposes $18 Million in Cuts to Special Olympics. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired March 28, 2019 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:30:29] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: There are now more than 200 measles cases in New York City alone. This is according to the city's Health Department. And one suburb in New York is taking extreme measures to curb the outbreak.
CNN's Polo Sandoval is live at Pomona, New York, with more.
What are they doing, Polo?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alisyn, let's start there where you are in New York City right now. Officials there confirming at least 215 cases right now both in Brooklyn and Queens. Authorities, according to what we're hearing from health officials, still believe that really a majority of these cases are members of the Orthodox Jewish community.
In fact according to health officials in New York, initially a child would travel to Israel who acquired that virus months ago. But let's bring you 30 miles here to Rockland County, New York, where again officials here have taken that extraordinary step, essentially banning the unvaccinated children in public spaces.
What does that actually mean? Let's bring up really some of that information for you. You could see dining areas, malls, schools, places of worship, for example. That's certainly important to remember as officials have put this ban in place so that they can potentially clear it out by the time it's Passover or Easter, for example, for many of the families next month.
We should also mention that we are seeing people here get that message. For example, at this location, at this clinic, at least 35 people are stopping by for their vaccines. Important to mention that about 156 confirmed cases here in Rockland County alone, that is a number that officials do not want to see rise. So that is what the main goal here is really to educate people and also to gain compliance to have their children vaccinated.
A majority of that, about 85 percent of those 156 cases here in Rockland County, Alisyn and John, are children. Back to you.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Polo Sandoval, for us. Polo, thank you very much.
We want to continue the conversation now with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN chief medical correspondent, and Lawrence Gostin, he's a professor of Global Health Law at Georgetown University.
And remember, measles was gone from the United States. Basically eradicated. And now it's back. And back largely because there are unvaccinated people in the United States, Professor. Still, you say you think it's a bad idea, Professor, that they're banning these unvaccinated children and people from public spaces. Why?
LAWRENCE GOSTIN, PROFESSOR OF GLOBAL HEALTH LAW, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Yes, I mean, let's begin by saying that vaccinations were one of the great public health achievements of the 21st century. They are remarkable. One of the most effective low risk medical interventions there are. But we have good methods to try to do through taking away religious and philosophical exemptions, and requiring vaccinations at school entry.
But you don't want to really punish children by actually virtually making them under house arrest. They can't go out. They can't play with their friends. If the child had measles, of course you would do that. But if the child is just unvaccinated it's really taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
We want to educate parents. We don't want to punish them and their children.
BERMAN: The problem with that, though, Sanjay, is that measles is so contagious. And it's there. It's in this county. So if these kids, unvaccinated kids do go out and do go somewhere where there has been someone with measles it's possible maybe even likely they could get it.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, look, I agree with the professor. This is a very unusual step certainly to try and prevent people from going into public places. But I think, you know, John, that's exactly the point. Your point is correct in that this isn't just about the child who is not vaccinated. That's certainly a concern that they could potentially contract measles, given how contagious it is.
But then they could also transmit it to other people. So rarely in medicine do you have things that both are so individual, affecting individuals so precisely, but also are a true public health concern at the same time.
Look, I don't think that anyone is going to be walking around asking kids for their vaccination cards and handing out tickets and things like that. But I think there's no question that, you know, the knowledge has been getting out there. I think the professor would agree with that. The problem is that the numbers of measles -- people with measles continues to grow.
This is another awareness campaign I think more than anything else that really just emphasizes how strongly, you know, people should be thinking about getting vaccines, not just for themselves but for the people around them.
[08:35:09] BERMAN: And it is for the people around them, Professor, that this becomes an ethical issue or at least open for debate. You've taken one side of it. But these people who go out unvaccinated in a community where there is a measles outbreak, they put other people at risk. That's the argument. They put other people at risk, including -- you know, you don't get the measles vaccine until what, until you're 12 to 18 months old? So every baby in this entire county would be at risk if these unvaccinated folks go to public places.
GOSTIN: Yes, you know, I -- Sanjay is absolutely right. I mean, vaccinations are critically important. And I have spent literally my entire career working on methods to try to increase vaccination rates to what we call herd immunity or community immunity rates. But there are really clear ways to do this without being too draconian against children, and actually literally, you know, forcing them to be in their home.
I would -- you mentioned in your interview that it was mostly in the Jewish Orthodox community. They should not be having exemptions from vaccines. Nor should people with so-called philosophical exemptions. The Supreme Court has upheld that. That's been the method of gaming vaccination in the United States for over a hundred years.
And I really do believe that this particular method of keeping children at home could be held unconstitutional. Because you really can't take a child's liberty from the child. I believe that mothers want to do the best thing for their children.
BERMAN: Professor --
GOSTIN: And we need to get this out.
BERMAN: Just --
GOSTIN: We need to educate.
BERMAN: You draw a distinction, Professor, let me just make sure I understand it. A distinction between public places and schools. You do think that it's legal and you don't have an ethical issue with keeping kids out of school who are not vaccinated?
GOSTIN: Well, yes. I mean, that's been the method in the United States for over a century. The Supreme Court has upheld it. Every state in the United States does that. The big problem in the United States is just simply the fact that we have these huge exemptions from vaccines. In many states you just have to say, oh, I don't believe in it. I'm a conscientious objector. And in others, you say you've got a religious objection. But really there are very, very few if any true religious doctrines that say that you can't vaccinate your child. You just need to eliminate those things.
BERMAN: Right.
GOSTIN: And the courts have said that that's perfectly constitutional.
BERMAN: Sanjay, I want to give --
GOSTIN: So why do we just do that?
BERMAN: I want to give you the last word here, Sanjay.
GUPTA: Look, I think the -- you know, the idea of keeping kids out of schools is -- it's a tried and true principle of social distancing. That's what they call it in the public health world. What's happening in Rockland County in some ways is just an extension of that in some ways. Again I think it's unprecedented. But I think the professor knows, you know, John, if numbers continue to grow right now, this was eliminated in 2000. We shouldn't be in this position.
BERMAN: This is --
GOSTIN: No, we shouldn't.
BERMAN: This is because of decisions that have been made, not because of medicine.
Professor, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much for being with us. I appreciate it. Alisyn?
GOSTIN: Thank you.
CAMEROTA: All right, John, one college basketball bracket out of tens of millions has picked every single winner so far. Is it mine?
BERMAN: It's Jim Sensenbrenner's.
(LAUGHTER)
CAMEROTA: It's Jim Sensenbrenner's. What are the odds of that? Harry Enten has the answer. I hope it's mine.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:42:55] BERMAN: There is now just one perfect bracket on planet earth.
CAMEROTA: I feel like it's mine.
BERMAN: Just one.
CAMEROTA: Is it?
BERMAN: You might be.
CAMEROTA: OK. Let's find out.
BERMAN: One perfect bracket correctly predicting the winner of every game in the first two rounds of the men's college basketball tournament. So what are the odds of that?
Here with the answer, CNN senior politics writer and analyst Harry Enten -- Harry.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL WRITER AND ANALYST: Well, let me tell you I think Alisyn is beating your bracket, by the way. That is what I hear so --
CAMEROTA: That is newsworthy.
ENTEN: John, terrible. Great job, Alisyn.
BERMAN: Those headlines, I suck. But I that's --
ENTEN: Well, we knew that already. So what's a chance of going 48 for 48? And this, you know, I hear a lot of times, oh, you know, these brackets, look at these odds, that's random. This is actually like a skillful bracket. You really knew what you were doing.
One in one billion. One in one billion.
CAMEROTA: Really?
ENTEN: To go perfect through 48 games. And here's even more. If you could keep it going and you could predict the entire -- this is from the NCAA.com, going perfect throughout the entire thing, one in 120 billion. I sound like Dr. Evil or something like that.
BERMAN: Billion.
ENTEN: Billion.
BERMAN: So how does that compare to, say, your chances of winning the Powerball like Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner.
ENTEN: Right. You know, the congressman who should really be calling in this program right now, right? Look, the chance of winning the Powerball, one in 292 million. You have a better chance of winning the Powerball than picking the entire NCAA bracket perfectly either through 48 games or the entire thing.
BERMAN: So this is million.
ENTEN: Yes.
BERMAN: As opposed to billion with a B.
ENTEN: Right. This is million with an M. 48 for 48. Billion with a B. So the chance of the Powerball --
CAMEROTA: OK, so -- yes.
ENTEN: Better.
CAMEROTA: Good. Because you know, we'll start playing. Now give us some other stats on our chances of things.
ENTEN: So let's say you wanted to be a movie star. We're going to all move out to Los Angeles, we're going to move out to Hollywood, and we can all be movie stars in the next "Austin Powers." In the "Austin Powers 4." One in 1.2 million. So your chance to becoming a movie star are pretty far-fetched, but far better than winning the NCAA tournament or winning the Powerball. BERMAN: Like a lot better.
CAMEROTA: I feel our chances of becoming a movie star would be better than that.
ENTEN: I mean, that is absolutely true. I mean, we act like you like me each day so it would actually work out.
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: If you're talking about great odds, if you're looking for great odds, getting struck by lightning.
[08:45:05] ENTEN: Right. So let's say we all decide to hang out and we become tornado chasers. The chance of being struck by lightning in one's lifetime is one in 15,300. So, you know, there's a pretty decent shot you might in fact get struck by lightning. Hopefully you will survive that. You can survive if you get struck by lightning. But there is a real shot at getting struck by lightning.
BERMAN: That's like downright likely compared to the NCAA tournament.
ENTEN: Oh, and by the way, last thing, winning a Super Bowl, the Bills this year, one in 125. Not a great shot but hey, they've got a real shot.
BERMAN: It's actually impossible. It's actually impossible.
CAMEROTA: OK. But for real, my bracket, I'm number 24 and CNN -- and you're 31.
BERMAN: I told you.
CAMEROTA: And our friend Dave Briggs is winning at number one. Ties with Victor Blackwell.
BERMAN: He actually knows what he's -- both of them know what they're talking about.
CAMEROTA: He really does. Right.
ENTEN: You two know what you're talking about.
CAMEROTA: Well, I just went with the colors of the uniforms.
ENTEN: Hey, works as well as anything else.
BERMAN: Thank you, Harry.
ENTEN: Thank you.
CAMEROTA: OK. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is cutting all federal funds for the Special Olympics. A Special Olympic athlete is going to join us with his reaction next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [08:50:08] CAMEROTA: President Trump's Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is defending proposed cuts of $18 million to the Special Olympics. She argues that the private organization will be able to exist on private contributions alone.
Joining us now is Special Olympics athlete Parker Thornton, and his father Mark Thornton.
Great to have both of you here.
So, Parker, I want to start with you because I understand that you've been involved with the Special Olympics since you were 9 years old. So tell us what it did for you and for your life.
PARKER THORNTON, SPECIAL OLYMPICS ATHLETE: Thank you very much, Alisyn, for having me on this morning. Special Olympics has truly, truly changed my life. I am an athlete, but I'm also a champion that has a voice to share with those who do not know Special Olympics but to understand Special Olympics in a better way that all athletes can become champions, not just through athletics itself but through showing what we can do and what we cannot do.
BERMAN: Parker, if you could deliver a message to the Education Secretary Betsy DeVos who proposed cutting $18 million in funding for the Special Olympics, what would you tell her?
P. THORNTON: John, I would tell her the truth. And I would say to her that I find it very disheartening that she would be cutting the costs of an organization that is number five in the world that people are well known of and to take away moneys that help us not just in our athletics, but in the way of life to show others that we can move forward and we can be a part of society and that the isolation, indifference, and the stigma we all face must come to an end.
CAMEROTA: Mark, Secretary DeVos's argument is that the -- I think, that the Special Olympics is well known and it does rely on a lot of private contributions and therefore doesn't need federal dollars. From where you sit, what of that argument?
MARK THORNTON, SPECIAL OLYMPICS ATHLETE'S FATHER: Well, what I can say about that is that the Special Olympics, first of all, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that benefits from funding across multiple sources. And the federal government grants are one of those sources. And It would be disappointing to say the least to see any erosion of the underpinning of this organization that has done so much to enhance the lives of athletes. I mean, their programs in education and in health have truly moved athletes forward in becoming integrated into society as full-fledged members.
BERMAN: And Mark, I wonder, did you have any kind of emotional reaction when you heard about the proposed cuts?
M. THORNTON: Well, the proposed cuts, you know, were a shock, of course, to me, although I have to admit it's not something that's brand new. Other presidential budgets have come in with cuts to Special Olympics. However, given all of the success that Special Olympics has had it was surprising that it wouldn't be, in fact, an increase in order to promote and to accelerate the kinds of changes that Special Olympics has been able to make in the world.
CAMEROTA: Parker, what would your life have been like? How did it change your life if you had not had Special Olympics? What do you think would have happened with your life?
P. THORNTON: Well, I truly believe that without Special Olympics I wouldn't be here where I am today. Special Olympics has helped me grow, it has helped me mature and has helped me to be able to share my story along with my fellow athletes and friends of the Special Olympics. And also to share the victories that we all have had. But I must admit that god is my strength and Special Olympics is my joy.
BERMAN: Parker Thornton, your efforts and your success inspires all of us. Thank you very much for being with us. And Mark, our thank you to you as well. We really appreciate it.
(CROSSTALK)
M. THORNTON: Our pleasure.
P. THORNTON: Thank you.
BERMAN: All right. The "Good Stuff" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:58:40] BERMAN: It is time now for the "Good Stuff." A young man in Michigan can't stop smiling. That's because Joey Spencer, his favorite pro-boxer of all time, personally invited him to his match. Joey says he was inspired by Dion Wright who underwent emergency surgery for kidney cancer when he was just an infant. Dion's father remembers how scary it was.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a 50 percent -- 50-50 chance he'd live after the surgery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Dion beat the cancer and is now healthy. Joey says it feels good to put a smile on a boy's face.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just knowing that it's so much bigger than boxing. And it's a great thing to recognize people who have, you know, been through struggles in their life to try to help them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Joey knows what a fight that Dion has had and Dion is winning that fight. You can see it right there.
CAMEROTA: That's so wonderful when athletes do that for their fans. I mean, that goes such a long way. He'll never forget that.
BERMAN: I think it's wonderful.
Also wonderful Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin.
CAMEROTA: You know, I feel like you're starting a conspiracy theory.
BERMAN: I think he won the Powerball overnight.
CAMEROTA: I know you think that without any evidence.
BERMAN: I think he won. One winning ticket sold in Wisconsin. Sensenbrenner has won lotteries at least three times.
CAMEROTA: There are more people in Wisconsin than just him, John.
BERMAN: You say. But I think Sensenbrenner is the winner. We have yet to hear from his office.
CAMEROTA: Suspicious.
BERMAN: We could have an exclusive interview with the Powerball winner, Jim Sensenbrenner, tomorrow here on NEW DAY.
CAMEROTA: I like this. Fact-free.
OK, meanwhile, "NEWSROOM" with Jim Sciutto is going to start right now.
[09:00:00]
