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60-Plus Million Under Alerts As Dangerous Cold Spreads South And East; Electric Race Car Gives Fans A Glimpse Of NASCAR's Future; TX Measles Outbreak Grows To 58 Cases, Most Patients Unvaccinated; Trump Expected To Use Public Health Order Limiting Immigration; KFC Leaving Kentucky And Moving Its HQ To Texas. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired February 19, 2025 - 14:30   ET

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

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[14:30:13]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: The Arctic chill moving across the U.S. is dropping temperatures and several inches of snow in some spots. And many places could feel cold air plunge 50 degrees below the February average.

Some parts of Kentucky are still dealing with the aftermath of deadly flash floods, and they've already seen nearly a foot of snow, with more on the way.

Freezing conditions are expected over the next several days, with 60 million Americans facing cold alerts.

CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is tracking it all from the CNN Weather Center -- Derek?

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: As forecasted, the cold Arctic air mass is settling into some of the hardest-hit areas throughout the Ohio and Tennessee River Valley from this past weekend's flooding event.

The Arctic air mass has forced the National Weather Service to issue these cold air alerts over some of these locations, including the state of Kentucky and into Tennessee.

Looking upstream, just shows you how cold this air mass that we're working with actually is. Bismarck, North Dakota, doesn't typically set daily record-low temperatures. Well, it did yesterday, negative 39 Fahrenheit.

That is dangerous cold, especially when you factor in the wind chill values, what it feels like on your exposed skin as you step outside.

Over 240 record-low temperatures will be broken this week over the eastern two-thirds of the country. That forecast wind chill value across this hardest hit-area, with the recent flooding. Look at that. Single digits just barely above the zero degree mark.

And the second storm system that's dropped a few inches of fresh snow over this area has really caused some havoc. This is Interstate 44 near the border of Oklahoma and Missouri, causing that highway to be at a standstill.

It is quickly on the move, but not before producing more snow into the state of Virginia. Heads up Norfolk into Virginia Beach.

The storm exits but it's what's behind it that I'm concerned about. And that is, of course, the Arctic air. We still have our cresting rivers throughout the state of Kentucky.

And with the fresh fallen snow and the current snow depth, we look towards the temperatures into early next week, which will actually be on the warming trend that will quickly melt this snow.

And that water has got to go somewhere, right back into the rivers and streams, causing additional flooding concerns early parts of next week.

Back to you.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: All right, thanks, Derek.

The most-high-octane sport on the planet may be on a collision course with new electric vehicle technology. A supercharged electric race car was on full display for fans at last week's Daytona 500.

And while revved up engines and smoke-filled starting lines are still the norm for now, that could change, but not without controversy.

CNN's Bill Weir has more.

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BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just outside the cradle of American racing, automobile history was made this weekend When Formula Drift Superstar, Ryan Tuerck, swapped out his rubber-burning rig for a machine with twice the power, over 1,300 horses, but with a fraction of the noise and not a whiff of exhaust.

Behold, the first electric NASCAR.

(on camera): This is so surreal. Normally, this event would come with a thunderous sound of that internal combustion engine, but all you hear Is this high-pitched whine and then Just the tires being shredded by those electric engines.

RYAN TUERCK, FORMULA DRIFT DRIVER: The power is just out of this world.

WEIR: Yes.

TUERCK: It's like nothing I've ever experienced before.

WEIR: It's like twice as much horses as one of the regular NASCAR.

TUERCK: Yes. Beyond that, you Have the power on demand at all times. WEIR: Like a Power drill.

(CROSSTALK)

TUERCK: There isn't a power band, it's just -- there's just all the power at all times.

WEIR (voice-over): This is one of three electric prototypes unveiled this year as NASCAR pledges to be net zero by 2035.

But while this Chevy Blazer was supposed to be the first electric pace car in Daytona 500 history, it was literally cut off by Donald Trump's armor-plated motorcade, a fitting metaphor from a president who was vowing to destroy EV incentives, charging networks and tailpipe pollution standards as he promised to fossil fuel executives.

(on camera): Has the politics made your job harder these days.

RILEY NELSON, HEAD OF SUSTAINABILITY, NASCAR: We have very clear corporate goals around sustainability, and so our job is to focus on getting those done no matter who's in office or what's going on.

So our focus is on, right now, again, energy. And right now, the race track you have behind you that keeps you up at night and how do we decarbonize that within the next 10 years.

And so that's everything from energy efficiency, LED lights, bringing in different ABV (ph) technologies, other partner technologies so that we can reduce our own operating footprint as a sport.

WEIR: Yes.

HELSON: And then bring that to the fan and educate the fan on how can we bring some of these technologies into our communities and help support the growth of sustainability across the country.

DAVID RAGAN, FORMER NASCAR DRIVER: I guarantee you there's more EVs in the parking lot today than there was five years ago. And in another five years, there's going to be a lot more.

[14:35:06]

WEIR (voice-over): David Ragan is a third-generation NASCAR racer who now drives an electric Ford Mustang in retirement simply because it's fast, fun, and cheaper to fuel and maintain.

He believes this fan base is destined to make that same discovery, so the market, not the president, will decide.

RAGAN: And I think the manufacturers really -- they've got their finger on the pulse. Chevrolet, Ford Motor Company, you know, Toyota, the big partners here in NASCAR, they've all got their different plans for how they're going to attack that.

And again, I think NASCAR is just saying, hey, we want to be prepared when that evolution takes place. JOHN STAHLBUSCH, EVP OF SALES, ABB: So Daytona, they just electrified

their parking lot. So their -- whenever their employees pull up, they'll be able to charge their vehicle.

Once charging becomes more ubiquitous and it sort of gets integrated into the fabric of the everyday American, I think it'll become more and more accepted, and it will be utilized more and more by everybody.

WEIR (on camera): You're telling me this is a conscious effort to win hearts and minds of folks who pay extra for the fumes and the noise of it.

CHRIS CHIGAS, VICE PRESIDENT, ABB: YES. We're in the energy transition right now in this country. The energy transition isn't for some people, it's for everyone.

So I think we need to have better conversations about how we use energy in the United States.

WEIR: Yes.

CHIGAS: And we welcome all the opinions and all the opinions out here today, because these are important decisions to make our country stronger.

(CHEERING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys are watching Ryan Tuerck right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Bill Weir, thank you so much for that report.

And ahead, a measles outbreak in the U.S. growing. Some of the cases involve people who say they've been vaccinated for measles. A hospital official at the heart of the outbreak will join us live, next.

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[14:41:17]

SANCHEZ: The measles, one of the most contagious and preventable diseases in the world, keeps spreading in west Texas. Officials say the outbreak has now grown to 58 confirmed cases.

And more than three-quarters of them are in one county alone, Gaines. That's where the vaccination exception rate for incoming kindergartners last school year was one of the highest in the state, at 18 percent.

Our next guest runs a medical facility for the Gaines County area. Albert Pilkington is the interim CEO of the Seminole Hospital District.

Albert, thank you so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us.

Tell us about the patients you've been seeing coming in with measles.

ALBERT PILKINGTON, INTERIM CEO, SEMINOLE HOSPITAL DISTRICT: Of course.

SANCHEZ: I understand it's primarily young people.

PILKINGTON: That's correct. It is young people, which is, you know, common for the measles and stuff. I think we've had 13 hospitalized. I think only two we're adults. And that's, of course, the entire region. The rest were all children.

SANCHEZ: What are their symptoms like?

PILKINGTON: Well, just what you would probably read on Google or anything. You know, obviously rash, you know, fever, which is always the big risk element that, you know, the fever element of the measles and stuff.

What you would typically expect for, you know, cold and flu kind of symptoms. But the problem with measles is always, you know, really high temperatures. Not surprising to see 104, 105. And then, of course, you know, associated problems that come along with a high fever.

SANCHEZ: I do wonder if you have an idea of how many who have come in have been unvaccinated?

PILKINGTON: Well, I would -- no, I don't. Because, you know, once they've got the disease process started, then trying to do a titer on them or something is -- is really kind of a confusing lab study and stuff.

I mean, I would -- to take a guess, I would say you got to be 90 -- you got to be close to 100 percent.

I mean, the vaccine itself, you know, upon a second dose, you've got a 97 percent immunity. And on a first dose, you've got a 95 percent immunity -- immunity.

So, you know, I think it's fair to say that probably all of them that came in probably we're not vaccinated.

SANCHEZ: There is these stats that we've learned about vaccination exemption rates, a record share of U.S. kindergartners had an exemption for required vaccinations last year.

What is your community seeing in terms of an increase in these exceptions? I imagine you might have spoken to parents that have given you some reason as to as to why. What have they shared with you?

PILKINGTON: We have a religious community that is very -- that is in -- within our county. And that's really the bulk of where the -- the group is that's unvaccinated. They just have a religious view against any kind of outside material, you know, being put in their bodies.

And, and that -- that's really where it's coming from. It's not -- it's almost narrowed into one group, you might say. (CROSSTALK)

PILKINGTON: And I can't give you a percentage of that group. Of course, you've always got a few people that, you know, maybe don't belong to that group that haven't got vaccinated for whatever reasons.

But really, the bulk of it is that one -- one group.

SANCHEZ: I see. What do you think is the future of this outbreak?

PILKINGTON: Well, ultimately, everybody that hasn't been vaccinated will probably get some element of disease or something. And so, you know, it just it's got to have some point of burnout.

To try and forecast that, you know, that's been our -- our biggest guess here. I mean, to take a guess, probably within a maybe a three- week window.

It just -- what we don't know is how many people are cross contaminating others. Because the problem with measles is you've got such a long period and it is, hands-down, the most contagious disease that's out there. Not necessarily the most lethal, but definitely the most contagious.

[14:45:02]

And since it stays in a dormant state, you can go for a long period of time not showing any signs or symptoms. The opportunity to -- for cross contamination is huge. So to be able to guess how long it will last is -- is -- is really a guess.

SANCHEZ: Albert Pilkington, thanks so much for the time. We appreciate you.

PILKINGTON: Well, certainly. You all come see us.

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much.

Brianna?

KEILAR: The Trump administration is expected to issue a public health order at the southern border that labels migrants as risks for spreading diseases, according to sources. It would be Trump's latest move to severely crack down on immigration, even as border crossings have plummeted.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is with us.

Priscilla, so we just talked about a measles outbreak in western Texas. Is there a relation here?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, sources tell me that measles and tuberculosis are part of the conversation, even though there hasn't been any connection that we know of between the measles outbreak here in the United States and crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. And former CDC officials that I've spoken with say really is beside

the point if the disease is already within the borders of the United States. Very similar to what we saw in 2020.

And that's really what this is all a callback to. This is a callback to the Trump administration's first term, where they issued a public health order during the coronavirus pandemic.

Now, at the time, that was a controversial move, again, because many CDC officials said that this was really politically motivated. It was an attempt to use the pandemic to shut down the U.S. southern border.

And in this case, there appears to be a similar pushback because, again, this would be a public health order to seal off the border to asylum seekers.

Now, it is one of a string of moves that the Trump administration has implemented. There are multiple border measures already in place that make it extremely difficult for migrants to seek asylum.

In addition to that, border crossings have plummeted over the last several months. With the latest numbers showing that less than 300 people are crossing a day.

So this essentially adds a layer when and if they implement this, that essentially would keep more people from getting asylum at the U.S. southern border.

Now, there's been litigation on this in the past. If you recall, it still was in effect over the course of the Biden administration until it expired.

But it is the basis here that it often becomes the controversy, because once a disease is already in the United States, that you're not introducing it into the United States.

But all the same, this is something that Trump adviser, Stephen Miller, has talked about a lot. He floated this multiple times in the first administration until it finally was put in effect.

And in 2023, he told "The New York Times" that he planned to invoke this again. So certainly, everything has been building to the moment of this public health order, which I'm told could come as soon as this week. And work has been happening behind the scenes to make it so.

KEILAR: All right, Priscilla, really interesting. Thank you for that report.

Coming up, KFC is moving out of Kentucky. Why the iconic fast-food chain is leaving its longtime home.

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[14:52:23]

SANCHEZ: Could KFC soon become TFC? The chicken chain's parent company says it's moving KFCs corporate headquarters to Texas and out of Kentucky. The colonel's chicken is joining a parade of companies that have moved home bases to the Lone Star state in recent years.

CNN's business correspondent, Vanessa Yurkevich, joins us now with the details.

Vanessa, why is KFC, Kentucky Fried Chicken, moving from Kentucky?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, say it ain't so. But Yum! Brands, which owns KFC, says they're doing this for consolidation purposes. This is a business decision.

They're trying to consolidate their headquarters. So they're moving KFC from Kentucky to Texas to join the sister company, Pizza Hut. And then they're going to have a second quarter headquarters in California for Taco Bell and Habit Burger.

But as you mentioned, KFC is synonymous with Kentucky. It's been around for 95 years. It's almost been a marketing mechanism for the state. But the company says this is going to affect about 190 employees.

They're also saying that this is going to foster better communication and creativity between brands by moving KFC next to Pizza Hut. They're also saying that they're going to set up a flagship restaurant in Kentucky. So there's still going to be KFCa in the state.

But this is not the first company, Boria, to do this. Just want to show you a couple of those brands that have also moved from Texas -- excuse me, from out of state into Texas.

You see Chevron, Tesla, SpaceX, H.P. And we've heard from some of those companies that they make the move to get better tax breaks and to be in a state with better business regulations.

KFC and Yum! Brands saying that's not why they made the move, but there's certainly a financial incentive to move to Texas -- Boris?

SANCHEZ: The flagship location consolation notwithstanding, how are Kentuckians reacting to this news?

YURKEVICH: Yes. Well, one very prominent Kentuckian, the governor, Andy Beshear, was out with a statement right after this move was announced.

He said, quote, "While I am grateful for more than 500 Yum! employees in Louisville, I am disappointed by this decision and believe the company's founder would be, too.

"This company's name starts with Kentucky and it has marked our state's heritage and culture in the state in the sale of its product. My hope is that the company will rethink moving Kentucky Fried Chicken employees out of Kentucky."

Now, the governor certainly has a lot of power in the state. Does he have power over KFC? Seems like the move is already in progress and underway.

[14:55:01]

As you said, the consolation in restaurants will remain and there's a flagship restaurant that's going to be set up there. But the headquarters heading down to Texas -- Boris?

SANCHEZ: Wow. Vanessa Yurkevich, thanks so much. Big news, big news.

Ahead, how multiple federal agencies are now scrambling to hire back some of the workers they let go in President Trump's effort to shrink the federal government. We have details straight ahead.

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SANCHEZ: Power play. President --