Return to Transcripts main page

At This Hour

Second Day of Russia's Revenge Missile Strikes; Nearly a Third of Lviv without Power; Medical Task force Recommends Anxiety Screening for Kids over 7; U.S. Reevaluating Relationship with Saudis after OPEC Cuts. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired October 11, 2022 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, AT THIS HOUR, another wave, Russia striking Ukrainian cities again. Ukraine's president now looking for more help.

Plus a major change, the White House re-evaluating its relationship with Saudi Arabia.

And anxiety screenings: for the first time a new recommendation, kids as young as 8 should be evaluated for anxiety.

This is what we're watching AT THIS HOUR.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BOLDUAN (voice-over): I'm Kate Bolduan. It is a second day of Russian missile strikes in major cities across Ukraine. Explosions rocking the western city of Lviv after missiles hit energy facilities, knocking out power to nearly a third of the city. I'll speak to the mayor of Lviv in a moment.

At least 19 people have died and more than 100 have been injured in the latest barrage of attacks from Russia.

And in light of the barbaric attack on civilians, Ukraine's president has joined an emergency meeting of G7 leaders. They're pledging to support President Zelenskyy and Ukraine for as long as it takes. Fred Pleitgen is in Kyiv with the latest.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the missile blitz that we've been seeing from the Russians toward not just the Ukrainian capital but other cities in Ukraine, that does continue today once again as well.

I'm still at the site where yesterday a playground was hit by a missile, one of the first strikes that we saw yesterday morning. And, of course, it was something that shook people here in the capital.

But there is a good deal of defiance as well. There is a lot of clean- up already going on and people trying to get on with things. That, of course, is also proving to be difficult because this city was under air raid alarm for five hours this morning as the Ukrainians were saying that barrages of missiles were being fired at Ukrainian territory; also, of course, at the capital as well.

So far the Ukrainians are saying that they've intercepted most of the missiles fired toward their territory today. However, there were some impacts that did happen, especially in the west of the country.

In Lviv, there was some energy installations in the area around Lviv that have been hit. The Ukrainians have been saying that they believe the Russians are directly targeting the energy infrastructure here in this country.

And then you have the city of Zaporizhzhya, which, for 10 days now has been regularly targeted by Russian forces. That was hit with a barrage of rockets as well.

So you can see the Russians continuing to press their missile launches that they've been conducting at Ukrainian territory. At the same time, the Ukrainians are saying that they are going to remain defiant and are certainly, right now from what we could see, trying to come out and display a sense of normalcy as they're being hit by these rockets, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Fred, thank you for that.

Russia's revenge strikes come less than 48 hours after Vladimir Putin appointed a new commander to lead his war effort as well. The savage nature of the attacks bear the hallmarks of this commander known for using ruthless tactics. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is live in Eastern Ukraine with more on this.

Nick, what more are you learning or do you know about this new commander and what his leadership could mean for the war in Ukraine?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Well, I think it is important not to overstate what we've seen over the past 48 hours as being a marked change in Russian tactics.

Since the beginning of the war, they've targeted civilians. They've hit civilians and hospitals, maternity hospitals, places that converted to be bomb shelters in Mariupol.

So no real change in the barbarity that we've been seeing. But yesterday, after a series of losses by Russia on the front lines, a sea change in the volume of missiles they were sending during one day.

Now Ukraine counting 84, about half of which seemed to have been intercepted. There seem to be 33 which hit today, 33 that were intercepted. This is Russia reaching into a different part of the arsenal, which may be in limited supply.

They've been using these missiles too more sparingly over the past months. But Surovikin, when he worked for Russia in Syria, propping up the Assad regime against rebels, was accused of using a lot of indiscriminate bombing by Russian aircraft, often flying in uncontested airspace around there, able to select targets on the ground that had no air defenses.

So many are wondering whether this is a bid to mark a change in the tone of the campaign possibly. And (INAUDIBLE) comes to a battlefield that significantly is not in Russia's favor.

[11:05:00]

WALSH: Absolutely on three separate fronts is Russia in retreat. So simply a day or a 1.5 days of cruise missile strikes against infrastructure and civilian targets is unlikely to reverse the trend of this particular war or necessarily make the rest of his command much easier. Kate.

BOLDUAN: Nick, thank you.

So the head of the U.K.'s largest spy agency is offering a bleak assessment today of Russia's military. He said new intelligence reveals that their troops are exhausted, running out of equipment and that their losses are, quote, "staggering."

And Ukraine's president is meeting today with G7 leaders to ask for more help for his own troops in this long war. CNN's Nic Robertson is live in London. He's been tracking all of this happening this morning.

Nic, what is coming from this meeting of the G7?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, and I think what is coming from the meeting tracks from what we've heard from the head of GCHQ, Sir Fleming, also from Jens Stoltenberg today.

So what we're hearing from the G7, the president of Ukraine asking for more support to build a proper air shield for the people of Ukraine, saying that Putin still has room for escalation.

The points that are being briefed out by the different governments attending the G7 meeting include such topics -- and I just get to them here briefly -- condemning the attacks, saying that they'll hold Putin to account; condemning and rejecting the annexation of these four regions of Ukraine.

Russia being in violation of the U.N. Charter, saying it is time for Russia to end the war, pull its troops out.

And that is very much in keeping with what the NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said. He also had that line. So I think what we're seeing from Fleming through Stoltenberg and the G7 leaders is an alignment, an international alignment condemning Russia.

And Stoltenberg like Fleming saying that Russia is very much on the back foot right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Ukraine has the momentum and continues to make significant gains while Russia is increasingly resorting to horrific and indiscriminate attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure. President Putin is failing in Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: And this gets to Zelenskyy's point that Putin has the capability to still escalate further and I think that gets to his real central point. The help that is required is needed now. Don't wait.

BOLDUAN: It is good to see you, Nic. Thank you so much.

Joining me now, from Ukraine. Andriy Sadovyi, mayor of Lviv, one of the cities hit yesterday and again today.

Mr. Mayor, thank you for coming in. Talk about what is happening today in Lviv.

What was hit?

MAYOR ANDRIY SADOVYI, LVIV, UKRAINE: Yesterday, Russian missiles attack Lviv and today Russian missiles attack Lviv and destroy all of petrocarbon (ph) station, where we have situation, we have problem with water, with electricity.

And I think we make maximum and I am optimist. But Russian spreads fear. They will get the opposite result. Ukrainian people become stronger, powerful and realist (ph). It is our war for independence. But this war try not eight months, not eight years, this war try for 100 years. It is very tough situation. I am optimist.

BOLDUAN: It is a tough situation right now.

Do you think this wave of strikes is now over?

SADOVYI: We must expect next attack. It is strategical Russian to completely destroy situation and we need anti-rocket system and this system can save our citizens, myriad (ph) people.

Russia won't completely destroy situation and I think after statement President Zelenskyy to Biden, to Macron, to Scholz, we received new military equipment and new anti-rocket system. It is very, very important for our victory.

BOLDUAN: You posted a message, Mr. Mayor, that nearly a third of the city lost electricity today after these strikes because of what those missiles hit.

Is the power still out?

What does that mean for the people of Lviv?

[11:10:00]

SADOVYI: Every hour the situation is better. Before we bought a lot of (INAUDIBLE) generator and I am optimist. I since, until morning, we completely renew situation in my city. But we will can new (ph) Russian attack. It is our reality.

I am mayor, a very nice city. capital of part of Ukraine; 5 million people plus who live during Russian invasion. This woman live close with 150,000 Ukrainian IDPs (ph) and Russian attack civilian cities, civilian people. It is other strategy.

BOLDUAN: We heard from the Biden administration, we also heard from the NATO secretary general that these latest strikes, they really show Putin's weakness. Showing that he knows that he's losing on the battlefield and that he's lashing out.

But does the reason behind these strikes, does it matter to you?

SADOVYI: It is true, Putin spread fire. Ukrainian people, after eight months, are stronger, powerful and resistant (ph). I believe in our victory. You must believe in our victory. Only together, this special moment for future of war, democratic system under totalitarian system. I'm optimist. Only victory. Never give up. Only victory.

BOLDUAN: Mr. Mayor, most immediately, after this latest round of strikes on civilian targets, what is most immediately important to you for your city?

What do you need right now to get back up and running first?

SADOVYI: We need a new diesel (ph) generator. But I expect very tough situation next months. But diesel generator, it is very, very important. But Russian missiles can attack next time electrical station and (INAUDIBLE) station. It is our reality.

BOLDUAN: It is your reality that you have to --

(CROSSTALK)

SADOVYI: Our country, our country, our country need new anti-missile system.

BOLDUAN: The message loud and clear that the president of Ukraine is delivering to G7 leaders right now. Mr. Mayor, thank you very much for coming on.

SADOVYI: Thanks. Good luck.

BOLDUAN: A quick programming note, everyone. An exclusive interview with President Biden, Jake Tapper sitting down with the president today. That will air this evening on "CNN TONIGHT" with Jake Tapper at 9:00 pm Eastern. And be sure Ukraine will be a topic.

A new approach to anxiety: new recommendations just released this hour from an influential task force, telling doctors they should be screening young children for anxiety and depression. What you need to know, that is next.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [11:15:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BOLDUAN: This just into CNN. An influential medical task force is recommending for the very first time that children as young as 8 years old be screened for anxiety. They were published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association."

Joining me now, CNN medical correspondent Dr. Tara Narula.

Help us through this because it is important and a lot of parents and kids need to know about this.

What do the recommendations mean and how significant are they?

DR. TARA NARULA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is a big step forward and it is significant.

When you look at the sheer numbers of kids affected by anxiety, the CDC said between 2016 and 2019 about 5.8 million children were diagnosed with anxiety. In 2018 a national survey shows about 7.8 percent of children with anxiety. And so the numbers are there.

When you think about the delay from recognition to treatment, it is about 11 years on average.

BOLDUAN: Wow.

NARULA: So they're presenting in youth and they're waiting 11 years before they get picked up. And they are suffering, setting them up for the risk of future anxiety and depression as adults, chronic health conditions, premature mortality.

And this is important, misdiagnosis. So kids who say I have a stomachache get sent to a gastrointestinal provider or they say they're not concentrating at school and then they are diagnosed with ADHD.

So if you just pick up on this early and get kids effective treatment, these recommendations said that every child who does not have symptoms between 8 and 18 should be screened for anxiety.

They did not have evidence to recommendation screening at younger ages even though there are kids who could present with anxiety as early as 4 to 5 years old.

BOLDUAN: And we heard that popping that up post pandemic, in the pandemic. We've heard a lot about that.

So what does screening for anxiety look like when it comes to an 8- year old?

What do parents need to know?

NARULA: I think it is parents but mostly clinicians. So there was a recent survey that said that 76 percent of primary care providers thought this was important to discuss with patients. But only 4-6 percent were doing it.

So this is going to bring this to the top of mind they need to prioritize. They're looking for signs and symptoms and risk factors. So looking at a child and saying this is a child who has genetic predisposition, a family history of anxiety, some history of childhood maltreatment or overparenting or interparental conflict.

Then you take them to the screening tool. So giving clinicians the option of using different screening tools that they could offer patients would be helpful.

[11:20:00]

NARULA: There is one offered called SCARED and we have a graphic of that and you'll see that goes through about 41 different questions given to the child and parent. It takes about 10 minutes.

And if you look at the questions like I get stomachaches at school and I worry about being as good as other kids, how well I do at things, you could see how easily anxiety could be missed.

BOLDUAN: 100 percent.

NARULA: Exactly. And so this is something that, if they score over 25, they may have anxiety. They would get sent for a real diagnostic evaluation and, if confirmed, they are hooked up with either therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy being the most common, or possibly medication. There is one FDA approved medication for kids over 7.

BOLDUAN: Regardless, I think we've talked about this before with adults. It is really important that this conversation is happening and the task force, which is very influential, saying it's time to put this in the forefront.

NARULA: Exactly.

BOLDUAN: Thank you.

NARULA: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Stark new warnings coming in for the U.S. economy. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon now saying a recession likely to happen in the next six to nine months and this morning the International Monetary Fund is lowering the growth outlook for 2023, warning of stormy waters ahead.

Rahel Solomon is joining me.

Tell me more.

What are you seeing?

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Two high-profile warnings just within the course of 24 hours. So the IMF saying in addition to stormy waters that the worse is yet to come. Imagine that.

And Jamie Dimon as you pointed out, the face and CEO of the largest U.S. bank, saying that he expects a recession of some sort within the next six to nine months. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMIE DIMON, CEO, JPMORGAN CHASE: Currently, right now, the U.S. economy is actually still doing well. But you can't talk about the economy without talking about the stuff in the future.

And this is serious stuff. These are very, very serious things which I think will likely push the U.S. and the world -- Europe is already in recession -- likely to put U.S. in some kind of recession six to nine months from now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: And Kate, in addition to those warnings, Bank of America also saying that it expects the economy to transition. It expects the labor market to transition, saying that it expects job growth to slow over the next few months, which we've started to see.

And actually starting next year it expects to see job losses to the tune of about 175,000 per month, with the unemployment rate peaking at about 5.5 percent.

Now Kate, to put that in perspective, the unemployment rate is about 3.5 percent, which is low. That is practically a 50-year low. The Fed has said it expects the unemployment rate to also rise to about 4.4 percent.

But just to sort of show you where we are coming from, after the pandemic, once we started to recover, month after month after month, as you could see, we have added hundreds of thousands of jobs.

So what Bank of America is saying is that is going to change. What the Fed is saying is that that is going to change. So something to be mindful of at home. It might be harder to get a raise or those perks.

BOLDUAN: Thank you, Rahel.

So the U.S. economy is also facing another threat now. After America's third largest railroad union rejected a deal brokered by the Biden administration with freight carriers, that means the possibility of a rail strike is back on the table.

The tentative deal would have included 24 percent pay raises and $5,000 in bonuses. But the union said it does not fix concerns over paid time off or working conditions. So they rejected it. The two sides have until November 19th now to iron out another agreement.

So the White House said the Biden administration is re-evaluating its relationship now with the Saudis after OPEC announced that cut to oil production.

So what is the Biden administration going to do now?

That is next.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:25:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BOLDUAN: A bold statement from the White House this morning. President Biden is re-evaluating the United States' relationship with Saudi Arabia after OPEC's recent decision to slash oil production in a big way.

It comes less than three months after Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia to meet with the crown prince. It also comes a day after the Democratic chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee called for an immediate freeze on the U.S.-Saudi relationship. Phil Mattingly is live at the White House.

Phil, what are you hearing about this?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think you could write a book just on the last 18, 19 months of the Biden administration trying to figure out its relationship with Saudi Arabia.

The president coming into the White House, pledging to recalibrate a relationship that was exceedingly close during his predecessor's years, after calling the crown prince Mohammed bin Salman a pariah.

And then as gas prices started to soar and regional issues also became a significant problem, major effort by top advisers behind the scenes to try and work on that relationship, develop one on a number of different issues.

To the fist bump as you just showed right there, as the president made clear regionally Saudi Arabia was a critical player and they need a relationship there. But also on oil. There needed to be more oil given what was happening in Ukraine and the soaring gas prices.

Given the decision by OPEC, the roller coaster is now on a very sharp descent and I think this was underscored by John Kirby this morning.

[11:30:00]