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Teachers Union Under Fire; Biden Immigration Plans Crumble; Olympic Fiction of Chinese Taipei; NYPD Officer Organizes Volleyball League for Teens. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired August 06, 2021 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: For teachers in schools?

RANDI WEINGARTEN, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS: So we -- well, first off, thank you for having me.

And we are looking at all the alternatives now, including, you know, those kind of requirements. We have supported everything that our employers have actually put in front of us to date. Meaning, we have supported vaccines or testing. We have supported, you know, the Biden approach in terms of the federal government. We've supported the de Blasio approach. We've supported actually these kind of requirements in Denver for our para professionals.

This is the bottom line for us. As I said to you in May, we want our schools to be not just opened but be welcoming and safe environments for our kids, our families, obviously educators. And educators have stepped up, 90 percent of them have actually gotten the vaccine and that was back in April.

The difference is, we believed that doing it in a (INAUDIBLE) way, particularly given the polarization in America, and particularly given that we need to create a welcoming and safe environment in schools and not have what you've seen at school board meetings about masking, about history, that this would have been the best approach. But as you have -- you know, I've been on the road for the last seven days. I am seeing firsthand, like everyone else, the surging delta. And that's the reason why we are revisiting and looking at other alternatives about how we get the last 10 percent vaccinated.

BERMAN: OK, the 90 percent number I know is a number I've seen the White House use. It's hard for me to understand exactly where that number comes from. I mean 90 percent is a very high number. Of society as a whole, it's 50 percent vaccinated.

WEINGARTEN: I know. That's -- exactly.

BERMAN: But my point, Randi, is -- is, look, is -- is you say you believe the best way was to have it voluntary. You're revisiting it right now. School's starting. I mean there's not much longer where it can be revisited before it becomes moot for all these kids coming back to school. So -- WEINGARTEN: Well --

BERMAN: Go ahead.

WEINGARTEN: It's not moot -- so it's not moot. But in the last three weeks has been when we've seen this huge change and this huge surge. I think what's happening is that we're -- you know, that -- that -- and that we are just -- we have met every one of our employers who have asked us to have a different -- you know, who are addressing vaccine policies. We've met or --

BERMAN: I -- I get it. I get it. I'm not -- I'm really not trying to -- I'm not trying to play -- I really am not trying to play gotcha here. I'm just trying to understand what you mean by that.

WEINGARTEN: Right.

BERMAN: So if a city or a state -- and it's not going to be all of them because there are plenty of states that don't want this.

WEINGARTEN: No.

BERMAN: But if a city or a state comes forward and says, we want vaccine requirements for teachers in school, if they come and ask you that, will you say yes?

WEINGARTEN: We're -- we are going to be bargaining over those policies, yes, of course. The answer -- the question --

BERMAN: But, what's the bargaining? What's -- what -- what's -- what's -- but what's the -- I mean where's the negotiation in that? Either -- either you support teachers being vaccinated or not.

WEINGARTEN: We bargained -- you bargain over the impact. You make sure that people who have religious accommodations or medical exemptions. You know, I'm -- and I'm not -- look, I'm a big believer in vaccines.

BERMAN: I know you are.

WEINGARTEN: And you can see between the NEA and the AFT that the -- that -- that we have been more successful in our profession, rolling up their sleeves and getting vaxed than pretty much anywhere else in the United States. And I -- and so the voluntary approach has actually worked because it also creates long-term trust.

So my point to you is that we're looking at these things right now. We think that because a full authorization, because we think that the resisters, a lot of it is combatting the bad information about -- and the disinformation about vaccines. So we're in the middle of these discussions with our leadership and with our -- with our membership.

BERMAN: Is there a deadline? Do you have a time -- do you have a time deadline? Would it be this month if the FDA does give full approval?

WEINGARTEN: Yes.

BERMAN: You know -- you know there's no legal distinction between the two.

WEINGARTEN: Yes.

BERMAN: But -- but would that be a deadline when the FDA comes out?

WEINGARTEN: Yes. Yes.

BERMAN: So -- OK. And you do agree because you said your goal is -- is the safety of the teachers and the students and getting schools opened. You do agree that -- that vaccinations are the number one --

WEINGARTEN: Oh, look, my --

BERMAN: Are the number one thing that could make that happen.

[06:35:04]

WEINGARTEN: Look, I -- look, you're not -- you're not hearing an argument from me about vaccines. Vaccines was pivotal -- are -- are -- are the game changer. And, you know, personally I'm 1,000 percent behind them and I think that we have the -- you know, you look at polio, you look at the measles, you look at smallpox. But the issue was and is, what --

BERMAN: Which there are requirements for students, by the way, in most schools. Yes.

WEINGARTEN: Correct. Which is the issue is just, what was the most efficacious way of getting everybody vaccinated. And -- and it was pretty effective volitionally to get 90 percent vaccinated. And so that's why we're revisiting it because the trust issues in terms of schools are so important about starting schools. And you know -- you know when we said we were going to do everything we could to get schools open fully, that we were also going to put money behind that. And we are running a campaign all throughout the country, a full court press, to reopen schools and to have, you know, and to have a joyful and a welcome and a safe environment for our kids. We have teachers (ph) door-knocking all over the country.

BERMAN: And that's what we all -- that's what we all want.

WEINGARTEN: So -- so, you know, we -- that's why, because of the urgency and -- and the severity of the delta variants, that is why we are revisiting and looking at all (INAUDIBLE).

BERMAN: Well, keep us posted. Obviously, schools are being to reopened over the next several weeks. Hopefully we will hear from the FDA on this very soon because the wait (ph) appears to be an issue for a lot of people.

WEINGARTEN: It does.

BERMAN: Thank you for your time, Randi. As always, a pleasure to speak with you.

WEINGARTEN: Thank you. BERMAN: Coming up, brand-new reporting just in to CNN about the problems the Biden administration is facing at the border.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, Senator Ted Cruz says you shouldn't have to show papers like a license, a permit, a proof of ID for the, quote, basic activities of life. So what about driving or hunting or buying alcohol? We'll roll the tape.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:41:15]

KEILAR: There is new CNN reporting this morning on President Biden's immigration plans being derailed by conflicting messages and the reality on the ground at the southern border.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is joining us now on this.

What are you seeing?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN REPORTER: So, Brianna, this really boils down to the Biden administration having to contend with the realities of migration and the political hurdles that accompany it while also trying to roll out their immigration agenda. So there is two messages they're putting out. On the one hand they want to have a compassionate, fair and humane immigration system. On the other, they put it quite simply, do not come. And these are two messages that are coming to a head at the U.S./Mexico border. So there border arrests remain high. In fact, in some cases, record highs with unaccompanied children and families.

The Department of Homeland Security is surging resources to the region because border patrol is so overwhelmed and they're fielding criticism from the advocates who say they need to ditch that Trump era border policy that turns away migrants and allows asylum seekers into the United States and Republicans who say this is a crisis of their own making.

Now, as you and I know, immigration has vexed Democratic and Republican administrations alike and is a politically fraught issue. But right now the administration is trying to strike a tone of compassion while also deterring migrants. And that can create confusion about who's allowed into the United States and when they're allowed into the United States.

And I spoke to a White House official who said their message has been consistent. They can do both. They can be compassionate, they can have that fair system that they want and they can also have a well-managed border. But in the meantime, they have to contend with those realities on the ground.

KEILAR: They're fighting legal battles on both sides here, right?

ALVAREZ: That's exactly right. The American Civil Liberties Union was in negotiation with the Biden administration again about that policy I mentioned and subjecting families by turning them away. They had been in negotiations for months. They're at an impasse. The ACLU decided this week they're going back to court.

And, on the other end, the Justice Department had filed a lawsuit against Texas and an executive order targeting the transport of migrants and a federal judge ruled this week that that order is temporarily blocked. But these are two lawsuits that the administration is going to have to fight in the coming weeks and months.

KEILAR: All right, we'll be watching with you.

Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much for that report.

So how did Taiwan become Chinese Taipei at this year's Olympic games? We'll have a very strange story about this next.

BERMAN: Plus, fears that a shadow war escalating between Israel and Iran. We are live on the ground in both countries coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:47:59]

BERMAN: If you have been watching the Olympics and you have seen a strangely-named nation, Chinese Taipei, winning medals and making waves, that's actually Taiwan and the name gymnastics is to placate China, which is dangerous in more ways than one.

John Avlon with a reality check.

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Tokyo's ghost Olympics have offered a host of contradictions, spirited contests and empty stadiums, world records falling at a rapid clip, outpaced only by declining TV audiences.

But perhaps the most surreal and significant contradiction has to do with Taiwan, which has been renamed Chinese Taipei for the purposes of the Olympics. And the reason why should really spook you.

See, Chinese Taipei is a name that appears on no map. It's a legal fiction. A 1970s era IOC compromise to the so-called one China policy that comes with a ban on the use of Taiwan's flag in any Olympic capacity.

That means this island nation of 23 million, their own democratically elected government, has been effectively erased. So these past few weeks while Taiwan was on its way to the nation's best tally of Olympic medals ever, it's real flag was not allowed to be shown in ceremonies or even on the Olympic Twitter account. Instead, this dummy flag was put in its place.

Now, things got really heated when Taiwan bested China for the gold in men's badminton, which I honestly had no idea was an Olympic sport. But when Taiwanese players and citizens celebrated on social media, they were berated by online trolls from the Chinese mainland.

One popular Taiwanese star, Dee Hsu, found herself losing an estimated $1 million in sponsorships from companies like Unilever's Clear hair care brand because she had the temerity too joke on Instagram that she wanted to invite, quote, our national players over to her house. Now that's real cancel culture.

And it should matter to you because this strictly enforced erasure of a nation at the Olympics could be a harbinger of ugly things to come. The winter Olympics in Beijing begins in just six months and the political weight of the world's most populous nation, the second largest economy, is tested through the acquiescence of international bodies accepting these absurdities.

[06:50:08]

Like the crackdown on basic civil liberties in Hong Kong, continued questions about the origins of the COVID virus in Wuhan, or the presence of Uyghur concentration camps in Xinjiang (ph).

Now, the one child policy, (INAUDIBLE) accepted in the name of strategic ambiguity, is in some ways the original sin. It was broadly agreed to as a way of engaging China into the international community.

But China' refusal to recognize the reality of Taiwan is looking increasingly like an invitation to destruction rather than detente. Amid increased military exercises in the region, the new admiral of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command recently warned Congress that China's threat to invade Taiwan is closer than most people think. Nothing's likely to occur before the Beijing Olympics, but it's worth noting that Russia invaded Crimea soon after the 2014 winter games ended in Sochi.

Now, to provide additional disincentive, the Biden administration just authorized its first military sale to Taiwan.

The core stated purpose of the Olympics, though, is to play sport at the service of the harmonious development of human kind with a view towards promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity, effectively erasing entire islands at the behest of larger countries does nothing to advance these goals. Neither does ignoring ongoing human rights abuses and soon to be host nations. Accepting a lie is not diplomatic, it makes you complicit.

And buying into this particular lie of Chinese Taipei, it will leave the international community impotent to forcefully object if or when there's violence in the South China Sea.

And that's your "Reality Check."

BERMAN: You know, it's worth noting, as great as the Olympics are, they have a history, as long as the games over the last 120 years, the modern games of complicity sometimes in, I would say, political malfeasance.

KEILAR: Yes, that's right. And that is something we've seen with the Olympics. And it feels like we're seeing it in sport, we're seeing it in art, I guess, well, I will tell you, we've talked about John Cena, right? He called the wrestler turned actor referred to Taiwan as a country and he had to apologize. I think he did it in mandarin, right? BERMAN: Yes. Yes.

KEILAR: We talked about that months ago.

I was going to say art also reflects this. I don't know if you would call "Fast and the Furious 9" art, right?

BERMAN: I would.

KEILAR: But it is entertainment. We can say that. And we're just seeing this reflected everywhere, this -- this issue between Taiwan and China. And when it comes down to it, you know, China wins out because, obviously, they're such a huge player, especially economically.

BERMAN: All right, coming up, a NEW DAY special report. Hear how close Donald Trump came to an attempted coup as we speak live with one of his former advisers.

KEILAR: Plus, a Texas mom just had a baby in the same hospital system where her husband died of coronavirus two months ago. She'll share her heartbreaking story, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:57:23]

KEILAR: Volleyball is making a big difference for teenagers in one New York City borough thanks to the efforts of one of New York's finest who is going "Beyond the Call of Duty" to make it all happen.

CNN's Brynn Gingras has this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's a hot Saturday summer morning and this Bronx gym is buzzing with athletes. More than 200 volleyball players come here every week. New York City teenagers, strangers to each other at first, but here they're now family.

OFFICER VICTOR MATOS, NEW YORK POLICE: It doesn't matter where you're from, you're welcomed here. And there's no judgment here.

GINGRAS: NYPD Officer Victor Matos and his wife, Rosalee (ph), run Matters of Sports, or MOS, volunteering their own time and often spending their own money so these teens can play here for free.

MATOS: We're trying to be mentors and role models to them and keep them off the streets.

Please don't go outside of these gates. We can't protect you outside of these gates.

GINGRAS: It's a vital program in an area where right now the crime rate is soaring. But it almost went away.

MATOS: All right. All right.

GINGRAS: We first met Matos in March 2020.

GINGRAS (on camera): Victor, last time we were here, it was the last time you were in this gym because COVID shut everything down.

MATOS: Yes. It destroyed everything.

GINGRAS (voice over): COVID-19 almost took his life.

MATOS: It started with coughing. I didn't realize that it was leading to possibly the end for me. I almost didn't make it out of the hospital.

GINGRAS: Today, he has lingering symptoms and he says it's these kids that brought him back to the gym.

MATOS: It led from one person texting me to a kid texting me to another kid texting me, is MOS coming back? I had a young lady text me that she tried to hurt herself and volleyball was her way out. How do you turn your back on that?

GINGRAS: Starr Goggans travels more than an hour to get here.

STARR GOGGANS, PLAYS VOLLEYBALL WITH MATTERS OF SPORTS ATHLETIC LEAGUE: I come from an abusive household. So when I come out and I get to play sports, it's like something that keeps me calm and keeps me going.

GINGRAS: She's in college now, majoring in neuroscience.

MATOS: You're a role model.

GINGRAS: The league's name also stands for Members of Service. Matos recruits others in uniform to volunteer coach and build relationships.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One family.

CROWD: One team.

GINGRAS: Like Jackie Bonel (ph), who is training to be a firefighter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We should be the ones to give them that example, that we still take our time to come and show them that people care.

MATOS: To know that we might have made a difference and we might have pushed that child in a positive direction is every award in the world.

[07:00:07]

GINGRAS: Brynn Gingras, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)