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Vatican Allows Catholic Priests To Bless Same-Sex Couples; Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Lies In Repose At Supreme Court; Scientists Find Possible Cause Of Morning Sickness. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired December 18, 2023 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

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KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, an important shift from the Vatican. Pope Francis has now signed off on a ruling that will allow Catholic priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples. CNN's Christopher Lamb has more on this. He joins us now.

Christopher, what does this new ruling mean? And what does this policy shift mean? Give us the details.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate. It's a very significant ruling because for the first, time the Vatican has authorized priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples. Now, the Vatican was keen to point out this. These blessings should not be in formal church settings, and they should not confuse the church's teaching on marriage being between a man and a woman, but it is a very important development because it changes the church's approach on this question of ministry to LGBT Catholics.

In the past, the Vatican has said that same-sex couples cannot be blessed because the church cannot bless sin. However, now this ruling is saying that there is a possibility to bless couples, that those people who seek blessings should be helped -- should be offered -- should be given them. Of course, it's also stating at the same time that the church's teaching on marriage still holds.

But I think this is a very significant development given the past rulings by the Vatican against same-sex couples. And of course, Pope Francis has tried throughout his papacy to offer a different approach to try and welcome gay people.

BOLDUAN: And it definitely seems like a real opening here for sure. Christopher Lamb, thank you very much.

LAMB: Thank you.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And as you well know, time is running out for lawmakers to craft a border deal as aid for Israel and Ukraine, never mind the United States, hangs in the balance. The White House is now involved in the negotiations. But it may be too little too late as some lawmakers remain skeptical anything can be done before senators go home for the holidays. Despite days of meetings and talks, there's still no framework in place.

[11:35:13]

CNN's Arlette Saenz is joining us from the White House this morning. Arlette, what are you hearing from the president, from the Biden administration about this as we have what, two weeks left or so before the end of the year?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sara, as senior White House officials, including White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, spent part of the weekend on the phone with lawmakers, Republicans, and Democrats, trying to see if they can reach some type of consensus when it comes to additional border policy -- security policy changes. Negotiators are set to return to the negotiating table again today after meeting for about three hours yesterday. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was on hand for those meetings.

But even as negotiators say they are making progress on this front, it still remains unclear whether they will be able to act fast enough to actually reach an agreement by the end of the week. Immigration Policy has long vexed lawmakers up on Capitol Hill. It is a very challenging topic that has very specific details that need to be run through. There's the need to, one, get an agreement but then they also have to write legislation, sell it to their members, and then also vote on it. So, it's a very steep climb from this period now until lawmakers are set to leave for holiday recess at week's end.

The White House has been warning for quite some time that they need this aid for Ukraine and for Israel by the end of the year. They've said that they are running out of time to provide Ukraine with the assistance that they need on the battlefield. And they've been hoping that somehow lawmakers would be able to reach some consensus on border security in order to advance this forward.

Now, one of the groups that Zients and others met with over the weekend was the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Those lawmakers have expressed some frustration that some of the ideas that are being proposed at the White House might sign on to might be a bit harsh when it comes to immigration. But it really speaks to some of the political challenges facing President Biden at this moment.

He doesn't want to alienate his base. But his team also recognizes that immigration could be a political liability heading into 2024 as there have been people saying that more needs to be done on the southern border. So, people are hopeful that progress continues to be made, but it really remains unclear if, at this point, they can actually reach that agreement in the short timeframe that they have.

SIDNER: It's a lot to ask at this point since the House is already at home. Arlette Saenz, thank you so much. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us, a major recall. Quaker Oats is recalling more than 40 different types of granola bars and cereal products over possible contamination. We have an update for you on this.

And honoring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor today. The public is paying respects to the late justice ahead of her funeral tomorrow. Coming up next, one of Justice O'Connor's former clerks is our guest.

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BOLDUAN: Right now, honoring a trailblazer in a first among first. The public today getting the chance to pay respects to the late Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor as she lies in repose at the Supreme Court. Justice O'Connor passed away on December 1 at the age of 93.

She became the first woman justice to serve the nation's highest court in 1981. Her funeral will take place tomorrow at Washington National Cathedral. Already this morning, those closest to the justice were able to take part in a private memorial at the High Court to honor her.

Joining us now is one of Justice O'Connor's former clerks, Traci Lovitt. Traci, thank you for taking the time. You just came over from the events at the court happening this morning. What was it like being there for you today?

TRACI LOVITT, FORMER CLERK TO JUSTICE SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR: It was both nostalgic and sad, but also joyous to be celebrating such a wonderful role model that we had in Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. And I'd like to thank you for doing the segment. You know, the justice retired 18 years ago. And there is -- it's important, I think, to recognize her legacy and to remember her in everything that she did and achieved.

BOLDUAN: You -- I have to say, Traci. I absolutely loved the piece that you wrote for CNN.com about after she passed away, calling her the ultimate ceiling crasher. And just the way you wrote about your time working for her. And what she meant to you even before you were able to clerk for her is an important message for women and girls everywhere.

I want to read just a bit for everyone you wrote. On the day of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's swearing-in at the Supreme Court, many girls and women including 12-year-old me started thinking for the first time about legal careers. One couldn't help but wonder if she could succeed in the legal field, why can't I?

And then you even go on to clerk for Justice O'Connor. Talk to me about that relationship and kind of what you carry still today from that time. You know, it is always so special to hear the relationship between clerks and justices.

LOVITT: Well, I carry so much. I mean, on a professional level, she really taught me how to be a lawyer. I thought I could think through legal issues coming out of law school, but being trained by one of the greats really sticks with you and has made me a much better lawyer to this day.

On a personal level, you can't imagine what a wonderful mentor she was to me. She made me a better person in a lot of ways. She was full of life.

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I mean, did not like to sit at her desk for very long, and was just a joy to be around. I use the word gracious a lot to describe her. She was very confident in her legal abilities, but also very gracious with those around her.

I think you've got some of the photographs from our time in the court. She loved to go on outdoor adventures. We go to the cherry blossoms, out kayaking, and notoriously, yes, she did have a step aerobics class every morning at 6:00 a.m., and we attended.

BOLDUAN: Also, we have to -- you have to also let everyone in. Not a small thing is that justice takes credit for introducing you to your husband as well.

LOVITT: She did take credit for that. We -- he was hanging around chambers a lot. And perhaps I was a little slower than everybody else. But she -- on the day of her kayaking trip at the end of the year, I was the only unmarried clerk, wasn't dating or engaged or married. And she picked up, and that's him in the photo you're showing now.

On kayak day, she invited him as my kayaking partner. And there's nothing like two hours going down the Potomac in a two-person ocean kayak to really let you know somebody. And we've been together ever since.

BOLDUAN: I love it. I mean, really, I mean sink or swim, I guess is where that relationship was going to go really, really quickly, right?

LOVITT: Exactly.

BOLDUAN: She did -- you make an important point also in speaking about her legacy, is she did go away from public life for a long time due to her failing health. And with that, kind of comes like her presence in the public conversation or even being kind of a mentor continuing on for girls. What do you hope that young girls today might not know and what they should take from Sandra Day O'Connor?

LOVITT: I want young girls to know her legacy, what she did. We're talking about a woman who graduated in the top 10 percent of her law school class at Stanford. And she had one job offer in the private sector as a legal secretary.

She couldn't even get an attorney job. And that's why she went to the government. And it's that sort of perseverance that when the odds seem against you, odds seem to have, you down, you just dig in and try harder.

And that's what she did. And she proved to a whole generation there is no ceiling for women and the law. We can do whatever we want.

And I hope that young girls watching today who haven't thought about themselves as a legal career, give it a nod. You can do it. She did it. She's blazed the trail. BOLDUAN: And you are a living example of that as well. Traci, thank you for taking the time to come speak with us on what is a really special day for you professionally. And as we now well know, very personal as well. Thank you so much.

LOVITT: Thank you so much.

BOLDUAN: Thank you. We'll be right back.

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[11:52:06]

BOLDUAN: Also, on our radar this hour, a manhunt over. Texas authorities announced that they've caught the inmate who escaped prison over the weekend. The inmate is 39-year-old Robert Yancy Jr. He's serving a life sentence for child sexual abuse.

Police say they recaptured him just miles from the prison in a neighboring county. He will be facing new felony charges now for fleeing. Yancy's mother and another man have also been arrested and will be charged now with helping him pull off that escape.

We have a major new recall also to tell you about. Quaker Oats has recalled over 40 different types of its popular granola bars and cereal products citing possible salmonella contamination. You can find a full list of the products on cnn.com.

This morning, they recalled products have a best-by dates that go through October 2024. According to the FDA, Quaker Oats has yet to receive any confirmed reports of illness related to the products though, covered by this recall.

SIDNER: All right, new this morning. Scientists may have discovered the cause of morning sickness. It's a common condition that affects between 70 to 80 percent of pregnant women. And despite the name can hit at any time of the day, in some cases, it's so severe that women have had to be hospitalized.

CNN's Meg Tirrell is following this new discovery for us. I hope this means that we're on our way to a cure.

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sara, this does open up potential new avenues of ways to potentially treat this or prevent it. And so, for a few years, scientists have been homing in on a gene called GDF15. And now a hormone with that same name.

What they have found is that this is something that circulates normally during non-pregnancy but during pregnancy, higher levels of this hormone are associated with greater experiences of this nausea and vomiting that you get during pregnancy. And so, they've actually found that if people have had a high exposure before pregnancy, they're kind of desensitized to it. And then they don't actually get that same level of nausea and vomiting with the higher levels during pregnancy as other people do. And so, a couple of different approaches here potentially for treatment include, could you block the effects of this hormone in the brain during pregnancy, or could you even, in people who have already experienced this bad case of morning sickness in a previous pregnancy, give them ways to increase that hormone and kind of increase their tolerance before their next pregnancy so they don't experience it? So, all of that has to be researched and see if it can be done safely. But potential new avenues, guys.

SIDNER: There's my memory serves me well that the -- Kate Middleton had a real issue with this. I mean, you can get extremely sick from morning sickness. Makes it sound like something cute.

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TIRRELL: You're so right about that. And that's really important to emphasize because the researchers here point out this has been ignored by a lot of people in the medical community, and that is to pregnant people's peril. Princess Kate did experience hyperemesis gravidarum, and that's that really severe form of this.

That affects about two percent of people in pregnancy. That overall nausea and vomiting can affect 70 to 80 percent of people. And so, this is something that's really widely experienced.

And those more severe forms of it can be really dangerous, causing dehydration, weight loss, miscarriage, all kinds of problems. So, this is something that really needs a lot more attention. And it's exciting to see sort of scientific discoveries here.

SIDNER: Meg Tirrell, thank you for bringing us that. And when I say Princess Kate, I did not mean you, Kate. My leash.

BOLDUAN: Who also didn't suffer from morning sickness? But definitely not as bad as she did.

SIDNER: Thank goodness.

BOLDUAN: All right. Thank you all so much for joining us. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "INSIDE POLITICS" is up next.

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