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CNN 10
Reports on the Upcoming U.S. Political Conventions; Exploring an Educational Debate that Pit`s the Benefits of In-Person Learning Against the Potential Spread of Corona Virus
Aired August 17, 2020 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Welcome everyone around the world to CNN 10. We are a 10 minute, down the middle explanation of world events and I`m your
host Carl Azuz. This is a day of firsts. This is the first official show of our Fall season. Awesome. This is the first time we`ve kicked off a
semester outside the CNN Center. Thanks corona virus. And this is the first time that virtual political conventions are largely replacing
physical ones. Conventions are where America`s major political parties formally nominate their candidates for president and where they define
their party platforms, what they stand for and what they plan to do ahead of the presidential elections.
Traditionally the party that doesn`t hold the White House has its convention first and the 2020 Democratic National Convention starts Monday
and runs through Thursday. These meetings will be mostly virtual except for a small gathering of delegates in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and will
nominate former Vice-President Joe Biden for the presidency. The 2020 Republican National Convention will meet next week from Monday through
Thursday. These meetings will also be largely virtual except for a scaled down event in Charlotte, North Carolina and will nominate incumbent
President Donald Trump for a second presidential term. These unusual online events in an unusual year will be a test of technology and for the
parties to galvanize voter support when they`re not gathering by the thousands in person.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here are my delegate credentials.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my favorite catch. This is my Donald Trump bobblehead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can`t do it like we did in 2016. That`s just not realistic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With the ongoing corona virus pandemic, the 2020 political conventions will be dramatically different but it`s not the first
time conventions have undergone a major redesign.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Especially (inaudible) a party loses, the party that changes it`s rules. The convention processes are always evolving.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Conventions started in the 1830s` as an attempt to make the presidential nomination process more democratic and transparent.
Delegates represent the different states and vote on the nominee.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seventeen votes for Governor George Bush of Texas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: An early conventions, its delegates were hand picked by party bosses to vote on the candidate of their choice but the process
could be a little messy. Often requiring dozens of ballots to select a nominee. There were boos and heckles, even fist fights.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The convention, maybe generally you might say were more exciting. Certainly they were more unpredictable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From his mother and one of his sisters he received the cheers of the convention.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The 1960s` paved the way for the political events that we recognize today. 1960 was the first year where voters influenced
the nomination through the primary process overruling the party establishment.
PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY: And we shall win
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Both parties faced challenges throughout the decade. In 1964, the fight over civil rights of black Americans was one of several
issues that divided the Republican party and their convention. And then there was the Democratic Convention of 1968 in Chicago where police
attacked anti-Vietnam War protestors.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you do after you have a convention that, you know, show a good deal of dissent and division in your party?
PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER: My name is Jimmy Carter and I`m running for president.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Parties made reforms like making delegate vote according to the primary election results paving the way for the modern
convention.
PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN: I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some may debate their importance but the parties use conventions to vote on their priorities.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: We can make the right choices and meet the challenges that face us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To boost rising political stars and build enthusiasm for the nominee and the party.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to excite the people who are going to get out and work and knock doors.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And there`s hope for a post-convention bounce, a bump in the polling that may propel the nominee to the Oval Office.
PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON: I still believe in a place called hope.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The biggest bounce in recent history was in 1992 when Bill Clinton gained 16 percentage points.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: To have a big convention, it`s not the right time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s anyone`s guess if 2020`s mostly virtual conventions will produce similar bumps but the delegates are still
committed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are excited to elect Joe Biden. That`s really the point of the convention.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t care if I have to walk around with a spacesuit on. I`m going to do whatever I can do to convince or to inform voters in
my district that Trump is the best candidate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. The first school bus was powered by what? Diesel fuel, steam, horse or electricity. A school bus designed in 1827 was a
large horse drawn carriage.
There are fewer of those running during this back to school season with some American districts going online because of corona virus concerns. In
a report that came out last month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommended that schools reopen in the fall. It said closing them would
disrupt important educational benefits and the services that schools give communities. It also sited evidence that suggested that children weren`t
major factors in the spread of COVID-19. But some schools that have already reopened decided to close again within days because of corona virus
cases. So quality of education, safety risks, technology and parents ability to work are all factors in a problem with no simple solution.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Atlanta`s mayor tweeting this week, quote, "It`s noon and I still haven`t been able to get the twins logged in." Keisha Lance-
Bottoms feeling the frustration of some parents across the country as they grapple with the challenges of remote learning with schools getting back in
session. This week technical problems have been especially worrisome like in Gwinnett County, Georgia.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I went to the website, tried to log into the e-class portal and was getting an error message for the most part.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With many students and parents unable to log in this week, the Gwinnett County District asked them to stagger their attempts to
access the program. Meanwhile, the superintendent of schools in Humble, Texas, a cyber attack on their district`s server blocked some students from
logging into their first day of online classes this week. This comes as the debate rages over whether remote or in-person learning will work best
during the pandemic. During a Zoom meeting with education specialists in recent days, one expert said a disadvantage of remote learning is that it
doesn`t always play to teachers strengths.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The teachers who are most effected teachers in what we`ve had so far is face-to-face typical situations. They may not be the
most effective in remote environments
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And some parents of students with special needs say their kids just aren`t being served as well online. Like one mother who`s
suing California`s governor over virtual learning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have three boys, two with a diagnosis of autism and without that team to do hands on learning, they`re just languishing at
home. There`s no type of education going on. My children cannot sit in front of a computer screen and do Zoom meetings all day long. It`s just
regression. It`s profound and detrimental.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One education expert tells CNN almost no state has a specific, effective plan to successfully teach online. But a clear
advantage to remote learning is that it`s simply safer. A parent in one Georgia county who sent her son to school for in-person classes has told
CNN it didn`t start well.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The second day of school my son said to me. Mom, I don`t feel safe. We`re not social distancing. There`s no precautions
being taken to keep us safe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And sometimes it appears remote learning can keep some top teachers in the fold. One Chemistry teacher in Arizona told CNN he was
given no option but to teach in-person. So for his family`s safety, he resigned.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of us would have stayed if we had had that option or if we had some kind of hybrid option to where we have smaller class
sizes. We would have had a lot of us stay.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: For 10 out of 10 today, it`s not often that driver`s license photos are the kind of shots you`d want to repost on Instagram. But one woman in
Tennessee recently got a picture that really couldn`t prove her identity at all. Yes, that`s it, the chair. Oh, she sat in it at one point and a
picture of her was taken but the one that was selected for the license was a little more generic. Officials admitted their mistake and fixed
everything but the woman and her friends are having fun with the original picture just to lighten the mood.
She`s kind of the chairperson of bad driver`s license photos. Hey, at least the story has legs, four of them. And if she went back for an update
and they said, take a seat. She could reply it already got its close up and it was "chairable". I`m Carl Azuz for CNN 10. We`ve got Green Valley
High School watching today. So shout out to our viewers in Henderson, Nevada. We`ll see you tomorrow for more CNN.
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