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UPS, Teamsters At Odds As Potential Strike Looms; Israel Conducts Strikes In Gaza After Rocket Attacks; Planet Experiences Hottest Day Ever Recorded. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired July 05, 2023 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Some 340,000 UPS workers could soon be walking off their jobs as contract negotiations stalled over the holiday weekend. If there's no deal between UPS and the Teamster's Union by August 1st, those familiar brown delivery truck that's carry about 6 percent of the nation's GDP are going to be shifted into park. CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich joins us live. Vanessa, no progress on the deal?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: There has been some progress on key items like getting air conditioning into the vehicles in the future as well as getting rid of a lower tier wage system. But overall, not a lot of progress on that big economic package. And that is what broke talks at 4:00 a.m. this morning after a marathon weekend of negotiations.

Essentially, UPS saying that it offered an historic economic package to the Teamster's Union. The teamsters saying it is not good enough.

[15:35:00]

They point to record profits that UPS has seen over the last five years. They have basically doubled their revenue in 2022 up to $11.3 billion in revenue. But the Teamsters wanting to see a deal by July 4th -- sort of an arbitrary deadline. But they wanted to do this because they need to let their businesses know, the companies know.

People who use UPS as a service every single day, where they should send their packages. So that has started companies trying to figure out whether or not they can shift packages to FedEx, the U.S. Postal Service. Those two companies though cannot make up the entirety of what UPS moves every single day, Boris. So companies still trying to figure out whether a deal is going to come together in the next couple weeks.

SANCHEZ: And on that point of just how much product UPS moves around every day, what could happen if we get to August 1st and there's no deal? What does that mean for the economy?

YURKEVICH: Six percent of U.S. GDP moves by UPS trucks and UPS moves 18.7 million packages every single day. And with FedEx and USPS not being able to pickup that slack, it would have a significant impact on the U.S. economy. We're also heading into back-to-school shopping season and believe it or not, the retailers, the holiday shopping season as they're bringing inventory into the U.S.

A strike in August is very bad timing, Boris. We've seen a little of what a supply chain slowdown can look like at the ports of the docks. We had a little bit of a scare with the railroads. And now we're looking at a potential scare with the roads. No one wants to see this strike. There are still weeks to go. And as you know, Boris, sometimes deals come together in the last 24 hours of negotiations -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Yes, brinksmanship, a little added pressure at the end of the negotiation might get it done. Vanessa Yurkevich, thank you so much -- Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Israeli forces launch air strikes overnight in Gaza. The IDF saying the strikes are in response to rocket fire from Palestinian militants. This new round of violence erupting as Israel was ending the largest military operation in Jenin in the West Bank in more than 20 years. This is video of troops leaving Jenin late last night in the Israeli occupied West Bank.

The Palestinians say the Israeli operation killed at least 12 people and injured more than 100. We have some new images of the community preparing a single grave for those who were killed. Among them, a 16- year-old boy. The IDF said all of those killed were, quote, combatants. CNN's Hadas Gold is live for us in Jerusalem. Hadas, do these rockets from Gaza and the airstrikes signify that broader conflict is on the horizon? Is this a stretching geographically?

HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, for a few minutes last night around 2:00 a.m., when we first heard about these five rockets being fired from Gaza into Israel. There was a fear that it was going to get much broader. Because Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, does have quite a big presence in Jenin where this raid took place. But after those rockets and the retaliatory strikes by the Israeli military, where there were no injuries reported on either side. The rest of the night is quiet. And still much of the focus is on what happened in the West Bank.

So it seems as though those rockets are more of sort of a message, a show of support from the militants in Gaza towards what was happening in the West Bank.

But this operation is officially now over, according to the Israeli military. They're saying that they reached their objectives. They say they wanted to dismantle what they called a safe haven for militants in Jenin. They say that they used drone airstrikes, hundreds of Israeli soldiers they used bulldozers, there were even tanks on the outskirts of Jenin. They say they found weapons caches, explosive manufacturing sites. They say they found hundreds of explosives and they say they arrested dozens of individuals.

What now we're seeing, is the clean-up in Jenin. Jenin has been -- as it's been described by a local resident. It looks like a natural disaster there. The streets -- many of the streets are completely ripped up by those bulldozers as they were trying to dismantle IEDs. Buildings, homes, cars, even hospitals are severely damaged. Keep in mind thousands of people fled the refugee camp to seek safety as this operation was ongoing. And also the electricity and water was cut off.

We know that one Israeli soldier was killed during this operation. 12 Palestinians were killed. More than 100 were injured. But the Israeli military is saying that all 12 of them were what is called combatants. And we know that militant groups have claimed at least eight of them. But the Israeli military is acknowledging that civilians were amongst the more than 100 injured. If you look at what Jenin, what the refugee camp looks like this morning, what it looks like today, you can understand how civilians could have been possibly caught in the crossfire.

Today we also saw the funerals for those 12 who were killed. They were buried all together.

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And I think one thing that was really notable about those funerals is the fact that Palestinian militants were there out in force during the funeral. They were waring masks but they had their weapons, they had their flags. That is a message to the Israelis that they have not completely eradicated them from Jenin. They are still there and they still plan to fight -- Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, Hadas Gold live for us from Jerusalem, thank you Hadas -- Jim.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant has now run out of storage to contain its radioactive waste water. While the U.N.'s watch dog has just approved a plan to release that water into the Pacific Ocean.

And encouraging news for Americans struggling with their weight. What a new study is saying about the key indicator BMI and its associated health risks. That's coming up.

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SCIUTTO: She was the first openly transgender person to work in the White House. She could be the first elected to Congress. Next hour, Delaware state Senator Sarah McBride will sit down for a one-on-one conversation with our colleague, Jake Tapper. You can catch that course right here on CNN during "The Lead" with Jake Tapper.

He's here with me now for a preview. She's a remarkable story and this course is a remarkable -- anybody would say perilous time, right? I mean, given the way transgender rights have been so politicized by members of the Republican Party. I wonder, what did she say to you about that environment right now?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR, THE LEAD: Well, we haven't interviewed her. It's coming up. We'll talk to her about that. What she's running on in Delaware. It's an at large seat. Meaning she would represent the entire state of Delaware -- not that it's that big -- in the House of Representatives. It's interesting because Senator Tom Carper is retiring.

And sets off this chain reaction. Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester is running to replace him. She would become, if elected, the first African American ever to represent Delaware in the Senate. And the first woman to ever represent Delaware in the Senate. And then of course, she also would be replaced in the House by another trail blazer, Sarah McBride, State Senator Sarah McBride who won her state Senate seat with more than 70 percent of the vote in 2020.

Interesting, President Biden credits Sarah McBride -- who worked for him -- as helping to shape views. I don't know if he would say open his mind. But certainly as a life-long Catholic who has been more conservative on social issues than other Democrats, hoping, you know, to make him see things through her eyes in a way.

SCIUTTO: Yes, I wonder, I have a question. I'm sure you have a million things to ask her. Is one of the questions, does she plan to make this central to her cause and effect?

TAPPER: That's a good question. Because obviously, she's not running to represent the trans community in Delaware. She's running to represent the entire state of Delaware. That's something to ask her. And also, we'll ask her about Joe Biden. Her questions about Joe Biden in terms of his running for reelection. And she advised him and he is from Delaware. There are some questions to get into. I don't want to give her any clues about issues watching right now. I don't want to tip her off about what I'm going to ask but it is all coming up.

SCIUTTO: No, no question. It's definitely something to watch. Jake Tapper, always putting everyone.

TAPPER: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: You can join Jake at the top of the hour where you can always find him on "THE LEAD" -- Brianna.

KEILAR: The planet just experienced its hottest day ever this week. The average global temperature reaching more than 62 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday. That's the highest since record keeping began back in 1979. It didn't stop there. Yesterday that record was broken again. And it's a trend that experts warn we could see play out many more times during the coming weeks. Joining us live from your is CNN's chief climate correspondent Bill Weir. It sort of feels, Bill, like this is the new normal.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: It is. We sadly live in the age of broken record-breaking. And it's the scale and sort of the measure by which these new records are being set that is putting scientists' jaws on the floor. That's 1.64 Celsius above the preindustrial average now we hit. So of course, the Paris Accords, the IPCC is all about holding it at 1.5.

It doesn't mean the planet has now tipped beyond that. We dip over and then come back day to day, week to week. But the trend line is just clear. And what's staggering is that the amount of extra heat now earth's system is holding in. All that planet cooking pollution from fossil fuels holds in the equivalent of ten Hiroshima-sized atomic bomb explosions per second every day.

And the oceans have hidden a lot of that heat from us on land, absorbing 90 percent of it. Now that El Nino is back, this natural warming pattern, boom! We've seen those charts just explode as the natural heating uncorked along with all that pent up industrial revolution heating is really coming to bear on us.

KEILAR: Yes, you were wowing me at Hiroshima and then you said per second. Which is -- you can't even fathom the largeness of this. What are the immediate impacts that we're seeing from this extreme heat?

WEIR: We're seeing a lot of deaths. You know, this is a silent, sort of sneaky killer. It takes more lives than all of the other natural disasters combined. So, 150 deaths in Mexico, or near 50 in India at a time. We're seen of course, record wildfires in Canada and we're only halfway through the season there. As, you know, a warmer planet, well it designates land and dries it out as well. But we're also seeing signs of a maybe new, new normal when it comes to energy.

Texas, which has seen a wind and solar boom in recent years, about 40 percent of their electricity during the heat dome spiked recently came from renewables.

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And as a result of that, it not only saved the system from crashing -- the grid from crashing, it kept prices way down. A couple years ago during a heat wave, it was $1,000 a kilowatt hour past on to consumers. Thanks to renewables, it kept it below $50 and held the grid. So, there are lots of signs to be troubled about but so many signs of hope and maybe a better future.

KEILAR: Let us hope. Bill Weir, thank you for taking us through that. We appreciate it -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: See it's good to hear hopeful news on the environment. Thanks to Bill Weir.

Now to some other headlines we are watching this hour.

Japan's Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant will soon begin releasing radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean. Officials say the plant -- which remember was devastated fire powerful earthquake and tsunami in 2011 --has run out of space to hold its treated wastewater. the United Nations nuclear watchdog has approved the project, arguing the radioactive water will be highly diluted and will be released in small amounts over time. Even with nuclear safety standards in place, there are still some experts who worry it may impact marine life.

A shark swimming near the shore of a very crowded beach in Florida sent swimmers scrambling to get out of the water. Of course, I would run too. The woman who took this video says the shark appear to be chasing fish. No one was bitten or hurt. In 2022 Florida recorded the highest of unprovoked shark bites worldwide, which of course still remain statistically very small.

And Subway is now offering its deli meat freshly sliced. Around 80 percent of the sandwich chain stores will now display these $6,000 slicers near the deli counter. This is a major shift from Subway's previous method of pre-slicing it's meat at its factories and then delivering it to stores. Boris, I think there's a "Seinfeld" episode about that, but we could talk about that later.

SANCHEZ: Well, it's a trend that's lead something performers to wear protective goggles during shows. Fans throwing objects onto the stage. But Adele is choosing a different approach, issuing a stern warning to her fans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADELE, SINGER: Go easy on me baby ...

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SANCHEZ: Just in, a new study says body mass index, BMI, which is a key measure to determine if you're overweight, may not be linked to a higher risk of early death after all. CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard is back to explain. So Jacqueline, as promising as this may sound, there are some interesting factors that go into this.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: That's right, Boris. But I will say this is one study that is part of an emerging body of research showing that just your BMI alone may not necessarily be the best indicator of your overall health. And what researchers did for this particular study, they did look at people's BMI and then they looked at death reports, death rates, and did that comparison to find that being overweight itself may not necessarily be associated with an increased risk of early death.

Now I will say we're looking specifically at the measurement of being overweight which is having a BMI of 25 to 29. Obesity is having a BMI of 30-plus. And we know that there are many chronic diseases associated with obesity. So, we have to keep that in mind here.

But overall, Boris, this is just another indicator that more factors other than BMI can help really give a picture of a patient's overall health like co-morbidities which are other chronic diseases, like family history. And of course to maintain a healthy BMI, the best thing to do -- work out, eat right, and have those kind of healthy lifestyle factors which can play a role in your overall health, as well.

SANCHEZ: Such important advice. Jacqueline Howard, thank you so much.

SCIUTTO: All right, before we go, music superstar Adele -- to be distinguished from music superstar Boris Sanchez who's with us every day -- is sounding off about a series of violent incidents against artist on stage. Just last month singers Kelsea Ballerini, Ava Max and Bebe Rexha were attacked -- attacked by unruly concertgoers while they were performing. So, in a TikTok video shared by a concert attendee at Adele's Las Vegas show, the Grammy winner seen giving a stern warning to her fans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADELE: People are throwing sh** on stage. Have you seen that? I f***ing dare you. Stop throwing things at the artists!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: You may have noticed she was holding a t-shirt cannon while she was doing that. That's something to protect yourself in case you got any lip back, right?

SANCHEZ: Yes.

SCIUTTO: We sometimes bring a t-shirt cannon to the studio in case there's any back and forth.

KEILAR: That's right. If we have problems with each other, we just --

SANCHEZ: We don't have an audience here on hand. But every now and then Brianna has --

KEILAR: I'm your audience. I'm your audience.

SANCHEZ: She's been known to --

KEILAR: COOPER: Mean, oh, mean. Mean. Oh. Mean. No, you know he's not telling the truth.

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SCIUTTO: To be fair we probably deserve it when she points the t-shirt gun at us.

SANCHEZ: Jim, I also appreciate the shout out for my musical career because you can find me on Sound Cloud. And it's mostly distracting for a while now. It hasn't totally panned out. But now that we've plugged it, I'm glad.

KEILAR: I think it's really going to happen. I think it's really going to happen.

SANCHEZ: Dreams do come true. Yes.

KEILAR: What is your big rap song?

SANCHEZ: You guys are really putting me on the spot here. CNN NEWS CENTRAL rap, I don't know.

KEILAR: That's going to be the new theme song for the show. We'll be bringing it to you soon.

SCIUTTO: We'll make sure he has better tomorrow.

SANCHEZ: Brilliant. Brilliant.

KEILAR: "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.