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At This Hour

Dangerous Winter Storm Brings Ice, Snow To Much Of U.S.; WHO: It's "Premature" To Declare Victory Over COVID; Flores Defends NFL Racial Discrimination Suit: "We Need Change". Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired February 03, 2022 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: For us. Chad, what are you saying? All right, I guess where isn't seeing -- isn't seeing a problem right now.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Really. 23 states don't have warnings but that means like in the lower 48 that means 25 do. So yes, we are seeing an awful lot of rain and snow. In some spots, rain changing to freezing rain, changing to sleet, making a glaze and then being covered up by the snow, so that, you can even see it changed over to snow in Dallas, still some freezing rain around little rock in Memphis all the way up the Ohio River Valley with some very heavy rainfall and frozen rainfall expected.

You could see a half-inch of ice on these powerlines and trees and that, of course, bring down more power lines. And those numbers will go up, 170,000 customers right now without power across the country. But with this all the way up into Boston by tomorrow, more ice coming even possibly for New York City's commute.

Tomorrow morning, we are going to have a very slow day. More than 4000 flights have been canceled already today. And now this thing goes all the way up toward the northeast, and yes, New Brunswick into Halifax, winter storm warnings, ice storm warnings for you as well. So it goes farther than the border, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Great to see you, Chad. Thank you very much. Coming up for us, more countries are easing COVID restrictions, even if -- even as cases climb and this new sub-variant of Omicron emerges. We're going to speak with a spokesperson for the World Health Organization. That's next.

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[11:35:00]

BOLDUAN: Turning now to the pandemic and the growing push to ease and in some places completely lift COVID restrictions. Sweden says it will roll back most of its COVID rules starting next week that follows Denmark, which ended all its restrictions this week, including removing a mask mandate and COVID Pass requirements for indoor activities.

But the World Health Organization warns it's premature to declare victory over the pandemic. Joining me right now for more on this is Dr. Margaret Harris. She's a spokesperson for the World Health Organization. Dr. Harris, it's great to have you back on, thank you for being here. So we are quickly seeing countries following the lead of places like Denmark. And part of this push does come from political pressure. I mean, people seeing these headlines and asking if Denmark can do it, why can't we? What do you say?

DR. MARGARET HARRIS, SPOKESPERSON, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: Good question, Kate, and good to be with you again and with your viewers. What we're seeing is every country will chart their way out of this in their own way. But we're asking countries to really look at your epidemiology, watch your vaccination rate, what's your hospital status, you know. Is your hospital system in a good place or is it overstrained? How -- what's your population feeling and understanding about what they need to do and how they can take measures?

So it's not simply a matter of just saying, OK, everybody, it's all over, not at all. I mean, exactly, we recorded record numbers of cases. Over and over again, more than 3.3 million cases just in the last 24 hours, so we have huge numbers of cases but we're in a much better place than we were before because we also have the vaccination, we also have treatments, we've got many more tools, that means we can beat this.

BOLDUAN: Well, and I actually am very curious what you think of a kind of like the status of things because former U.S. CDC director, Dr. Tom Frieden, he said just this week that in the U.S. and globally, the way he sees it, is he's "more optimistic today than at any point since the COVID-19 pandemic began." Do you feel the same way?

HARRIS: Honestly, yes, I do. And that's really because of what we've achieved so far in terms of understanding this disease, in terms of developing the tools to beat it, and in terms of tracking it as it changes, you know. We're getting very, very good at getting those genetic sequences in real-time and really understanding the twists and turns of this virus. I think the one thing missing is we all still have to keep up that energy and that belief that we can do it to do -- to get to that final finish.

BOLDUAN: The World Health Organization said this week that the Omicron sub-variant that's emerged does not seem to be any more severe than the original omicron if you will. So are you worried about it and should we be?

HARRIS: We certainly don't want it to run rampant just like we don't want Omicron to run rampant and we really want countries to step up the vaccination to beat all these variants. So the thing that people don't really still understand about Omicron is that why we're seeing fewer people getting the most severe form is that we've been really good in many countries at getting our vaccination levels up.

We've also got a degree of natural immunity. We don't know what Omicron would look like if it will come through our populations at this high transmission rate if we hadn't already built up that immune protection. So we are certainly watching this BA.2, this sub-variant of Omicron because it is showing some kind of level of transmission advantage. But at the moment, the things that we're doing to really protect ourselves is vaccination, the other protective measures are beating back the worst effects of Omicron and we're sure we can continue to do that with anything that emerges.

[11:40:00]

BOLDUAN: So then on booster shots, it was just in December that the World Health Organization Chief spoke out against blanket booster shot programs, you know, saying that they are -- these blanket booster shot that programs are actually likely to prolong the pandemic rather than ended because it would be diverting supplies of vaccines to countries already having a high vaccinate -- having high vaccination coverage. Is that still your position?

HARRIS: So indeed, we were very concerned at the end of last year that we would see more hoarding and just concentration of vaccination in the wealthy countries while the poorer countries were still waiting to get their first shots. Now, that has changed.

The amount of doses available to poorer countries, especially through our COVAX system has increased tremendously. We delivered way more in the last month of last year, I think then we managed to do all the rest of the year. And we are looking at a pretty good supply. So -- and we're also seeing that the boosters especially in the group's most vulnerable are having the desired effect.

BOLDUAN: It's really great having you here as always, Dr. Harris, thank you.

HARRIS: It's a pleasure.

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us. The owner of the Miami Dolphins says the allegations against him or not true, the latest fallout from this law -- this massive lawsuit brought by Coach Brian Flores. The NFL is now launching its own investigation. That's next.

But first, we all know sleep is vital. So why do so many of us find it so difficult to prioritize? Here's Dr. Sanjay Gupta in this week's "CHASING LIFE."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of CNN's "CHASING LIFE" podcast. How much sleep did you get last night? If it was less than seven hours, it wasn't enough. You already know that. The CDC says one in three adults failed to get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep every night. And we know a bad night's sleep can make you feel cranky and unfocused. But researchers, also starting to show something else, potential long-term consequences, increasing the risk for things like Alzheimer's, dementia, even early death. To understand the connection, you have to remember what sleep actually does for the brain.

REBECCA ROBBINS, SLEEP SCIENTIST (voiceover): What happens is the glial cells in the brain start to expand, and those cells and that expansion allows for increased and accelerated flow of neurotoxins through the brain. And so that rushing of these toxins through the brain and excreting them out is really vital.

GUPTA: Luckily, there does seem to be a cultural shift happening, one toward valuing sleep more than before, no more bragging about how little sleep you require. So here are a few tips to get better shuteye. Keep the temperature in your room below 70 degrees, that's going to allow you to go into deeper stages of sleep. Create a routine and stick to it. Try to go to bed and wake up around the same time every day. Get regular exercise that can help you fall asleep more easily. And avoid alcohol, caffeine, and large meals before bedtime. Most importantly, make sleep a priority. I do more than ever. You can hear more about how to optimize your health in "CHASE LIFE" wherever you get your podcasts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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[11:45:00]

BOLDUAN: We need change. That is the reason fired Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores says that he filed that explosive lawsuit accusing the NFL and three teams of racial discrimination. He also says the owner of the Miami Dolphins offered to pay him to lose games to get better draft picks. Flores calls it appalling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN FLORES, FORMER HEAD COACH, MIAMI DOLPHINS: I mean this game has done a lot for me. It's opened doors for me that would have never been opened. So to hear that -- to disrespect the game that I love that's done so much for me that means that was appalling to me and I wouldn't stand for it. But that's -- I would say that's not as -- unfortunately, it's more common than you think.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Dolphins' owner, Stephen Ross, he's released a statement saying in part this. "I take great personal exception to these malicious attacks, and the truth must be known. His allegations are false, malicious, and defamatory." Ross also vows to cooperate fully with the investigation that the NFL reportedly plans on launching. Let's get some important perspective on this.

Joining me right now is Donte Stallworth who played 10 seasons in the NFL, Dr. Myron Rolle, also a former NFL player now a neurosurgery resident at Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital. Guys, thank you for being here. Oh, I should also mention, Myron has a new book out coming out this spring, "The 2 Percent Way: How a Philosophy of Small Improvements Took Me to Oxford, the NFL, and Neurosurgery." I say this every time you both are on like I don't even -- I have no resume compared to the two of you. Thank you guys though for being here.

Donte, you overlapped. You worked with Brian Flores when you were both with the Patriots. What's your reaction to what Flores is saying here specifically about Stephen Ross and the $100,000 he was offered to lose games and the fact that now that we have these reports that the NFL is going to be investigating?

[11:50:00]

DONTE STALLWORTH, FORMER NFL PLAYER: It's sad, first of all, because as you've noted, I've known Brian Flores for a time now and seen him come up from the ranks of being, you know, at the bottom of the so- called totem pole to work his way up really hard to be the head coach in the NFL, which is not an easy feat for an African American to do. The discrimination process in the NFL -- in the NFL's hiring process has been well noted, it's not a secret, and the Rooney Rule was put in place specifically for that.

And while the Rooney Rule was well-intentioned, and its inception, as we see today, I think also a lot of people, not just -- not just NFL -- people in the organization, but also players have recognized that the Rooney Rule has essentially become nothing but -- nothing more than a formality for coaches to kind of check off a box and say that they -- that they hired or not -- I'm sorry, not hired, but had interviewed young minority of young black coaches.

And he spoke about being appalled at the fact that he would be asked to lose games intentionally. And he spoke about not just -- this is not just a personal attack on him but it's a personal attack on not just the players that are working hard but the coaches, the equipment managers, everyone who has -- who is connected to an NFL organization, which is much more than the players and coaches. That is -- that is total disrespect towards them.

And if these allegations are proven true, there have to be repercussions for that, especially now as the NFL is starting to venture more into online gambling. If a player was to do something of that nature, they would be completely expelled from the NFL for life. And I look forward to seeing how the NFL responds to these -- to these allegations.

BOLDUAN: Myron, is the NFL that Flores describes in his lawsuit the NFL that you played in?

DR. MYRON ROLLE, FORMER NFL PLAYER: Yes, it is. You know, it's one that we've known for a long time that there's this inequitable hiring process that goes on with coaches. You have 70 percent or more of the players being black, and zero owners, one head coach, a handful of coordinators, a handful of quarterback coaches, and so you have a disconnect between the players who want to continue to in the game by coaching or being in the front office, and having them you know, have that opportunity to, you know, pursue their opportunities.

And so we know it happened, I'm glad that this lawsuit happened so that Brian Flores and others have exposed some of the disparities that exist, and hopefully, that on the other end of all of this exposure, can come policy changes which allow black players, minorities, underrepresented individuals, a chance, a shot, at leading franchises and leading organizations.

BOLDUAN: I want to play for you both what Flores has said about what change really looks like. Let me play this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: I'm not looking for you know fluff policies. I'm looking for real change. And that's -- to me that starts in the hearts and minds of people who make those decisions and that's got to come through dialogue, that's got to come through communication. I think that if an owner is not willing to do that, then he's not fit to own in this league. This league is better than what they've shown.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Donte, I've heard you say you can't Legislate hearts and minds. So what is it going to take?

STALLWORTH: That's a great question, Kate. I mean, the owners, essentially, are the owners, not just of their individual organizations, but they're also the owners of the NFL. And although there is -- 70 percent of the players in the NFL are black, that doesn't represent itself when you get to higher management positions.

And obviously, head coaching hires in the last two cycles -- last two coaching hiring cycles, there have been 16 positions open and only one black coach hired and so there is a disconnect between the hiring process of top positions in the NFL and the players. And until the owners are -- essentially it looks like it's going to be to come down to them to be put on Front Street for them to do anything.

And you look back at what happened with Colin Kaepernick and all the ire that he drew from the former disgraced President and everyone else who followed him, all his supporters, and he turned out to be true. He was validated pretty much like every athlete who has -- who has ever spoken about inequities in their -- in their respective sports or in American society.

So, you know, unfortunately, it looks like they're going to have to be put on blast for them to even want to move in that direction. But I will note that I heard -- I read something about Jerry Jones, the Cowboys -- Dallas Cowboys owner who spoke about needing to do more and that department talking about the discriminatory practices. So hopefully, he can lead. I mean, I know he's been, you know, in opposition against place kneeling and things like that in the past.

[11:55:00]

STALLWORTH: But he's come to the conclusion I believe that he understands that the players do make up the league, the fans make up the league, and the owners are centrally the shareholders. And so for the -- for the league to run to -- for the league to run successfully, you need the players to be at their best. And for the players to be at their best, there has to be an -- there has to be equity in the hiring processes, or else this is going to continue and it's only going to get worse for the NFL if they don't respond accordingly.

BOLDUAN: And just -- and go nowhere once it fades from the headlines like we've seen happen in many other instances. It is great to see you, guys. Thank you for coming on. I really appreciate it. Myron, Donte, thank you. Thank you all so much for being here. INSIDE POLITICS with John King starts after this break.

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