Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Top Pediatrics Group Recommends COVID Shots for Babies, Toddlers; Clear, TSA Testing Biometric E-Gates at Major Airports; Minnesota Vikings Defend Male Cheerleaders After Backlash. Aired 3:30- 4p ET

Aired August 19, 2025 - 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: In health news, the American Academy of Pediatrics today released its updated recommendations for vaccines, including recommending COVID-19 shots for infants and young children. This is a rare break from current CDC recommendations. While the AAP has provided immunization guidance throughout its nearly century-long history, it's not traditionally diverged from federal recommendation.

Joining us now is the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Susan Kressly. Dr. Kressly, thanks so much for being with us.

I want to get your response to a spokesperson from HHS, Andrew Nixon, saying this in part, quote, By bypassing the CDC's advisory process and freelancing its own recommendations while smearing those who demand accountability, the AAP is putting commercial interests ahead of public health and politics above America's children.

What's your response?

DR. SUSAN KRESSLY, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS: So thanks for having me in, and I have a couple of responses. The first is that the American Academy of Pediatrics has been publishing immunization guidelines for children since the 1930s, long before ACIP even existed. That has not changed.

What has changed is this year we're doing it in an environment that has more misinformation, and that makes the need for clear and confident guidance even more important. And at the Academy, we always start with what is in the best interest to the health of children. That guides our work through the entire process, and that results in the recommendations that are entirely focused on one thing, what is best for child health.

SANCHEZ: What do you make of this insinuation that somehow commercial interests are involved? Do you think that they're accusing you of like getting a paycheck from pharmaceutical companies?

KRESSLY: I have no idea what their motivation is, but it's not true. We only have one goal in mind, and that is to protect America's children.

SANCHEZ: Yes, and have you heard from anyone at HHS or CDC directly about this?

KRESSLY: I can't speak to that. I personally have not, but we will be happy to have a conversation with anyone who wants to join us in making recommendations that are in keeping with keeping our children healthy, and then the next step is to figure out how we can take these recommendations and turn them into care so that every child in every community has access to the entirety of the recommended vaccines.

SANCHEZ: And doctor, do you think it's possible that some pediatricians are going to order fewer vaccines or potentially skip providing some of them entirely, especially COVID shots, given the shifting guidelines? I wonder what you're hearing from pediatricians.

KRESSLY: So what we heard from pediatricians is that they were waiting for our guidance, and now that they have our guidance, we will be working with them to make sure that every pediatrician and every child in every community has access to the vaccines that are recommended on the schedule.

SANCHEZ: So they are not following HHS or CDC necessarily. They're waiting to hear from you.

KRESSLY: That is correct. As the guidance of their professional organization, knowing that we are doing what's best for America's children, they are looking to us for clear and confident guidance. And that's what we have provided with these recommendations.

And now the additional work of making sure how these vaccines get to every community so that children have access to them is our next work. And we are happy to have anyone who's interested in keeping our children safe and healthy join us in those efforts.

SANCHEZ: Doctor, I wonder what you make of, as you put it, the current environment of misinformation and the targeting of individuals such as yourself who are standing up for truth in a moment where it appears that there are other interests at stake. I wonder if you also think you might be targeted.

Doctor?

KRESSLY: I'm sorry. I'm sorry you cut out.

SANCHEZ: Oh, I was just wondering, given that you described this environment of misinformation, where you are in a position where you are trying to stand up for truth and help children and keep them healthy, whether you think you might be targeted by folks who have other interests in mind, given the environment that we're in?

KRESSLY: So the American Academy of Pediatrics has a 95-year history of doing whatever is needed to speak up for America's children. And we will do that no matter what other parties have to say. We are deeply grounded in what's most meaningful and accurate and make recommendations.

[15:35:00] And pediatricians around the country stand ready to do whatever is needed to keep our children safe.

SANCHEZ: Dr. Susan Kressly, we very much appreciate your candor and your work. Thank you so much for being with us.

KRESSLY: Thank you so much.

SANCHEZ: Ahead, travelers at a major U.S. airport can now use new real-time biometric verification at security checkpoints. We're going to show you how it works in just moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: A new partnership with the TSA and Travel Service Clear is bringing new biometric E-gates to test ahead of next year's FIFA World Cup.

[15:40:00]

The aim is to bring faster and more secure travel to major U.S. cities without the hassle of having to wait in line. The pilot program is rolling out today at the world's busiest airport in Atlanta, with gates also coming to D.C. and Seattle soon. Travelers will verify their identity by stepping into an E-gate, pairing facial recognition with their boarding pass.

For more insight, I want to bring in Clint Henderson. He's a travel editor with The Points Guy. Clint, thanks for being with us.

So Clear already does some biometric stuff, right? They take your fingerprint, they take some sort of optical reading. So how are these E-gates going to be different?

CLINT HENDERSON, TRAVEL EDITOR, THE POINTS GUY: So eventually the technology is getting so good that you'll be able to literally step through a sort of a threshold. It will identify you with a scan and verify your identification, it'll pull up your boarding pass, and then a TSA agent will be right there sending you through so you don't have to go to a podium, you just go straight to baggage clearance. So I got to test this out in Oakland Airport where they were sort of piloting it and testing it.

Really cool stuff, but at the time you had to scan your boarding pass still with your phone on the gates and then they opened up for you. But eventually this will be just like a scan and go. Really remarkable technology advancements here and it's really cool to see Clear and TSA working together hand in hand for this.

SANCHEZ: Yes, though maybe a little bit scary too if you're giving biometric data to a company that then has to hold on to it. Are there concerns for privacy, the potential for Clear to be hacked?

HENDERSON: Absolutely. So there is privacy concerns, but both Clear and TSA say that this is simply a confirmation process. So they're literally just comparing a picture of your face to the document they have on file and then all that data is dumped.

So that's the line from both TSA and from Clear. I have no reason to doubt that, but obviously some people are not going to want to do that. The good news is you can still opt out of all biometric screening.

All you have to do is go to the regular security line and tell the agent you'd like to be screened the old fashioned way. Because remember biometrics is coming everywhere. It's not just for Clear customers.

This is in place now at airports like Atlanta and JFK. So it's here. It may take you a little longer to get through security if you don't want to do that, but this is the wave of the future.

SANCHEZ: And what does this tell you? What does it signal about the TSA embracing biometric identity verification? It seems like there's no turning back now.

HENDERSON: Yes, absolutely. You already see this too rolling out at international airports around the world. You know, new e-gates are coming to an airport near and far.

It's just easier for passenger flow. It gets people through security more quickly. A lot of times now you have to apply ahead of time so they have a lot of information on you already.

So, you know, biometrics is here and it's always been sort of a security layer to go through air travel ever since 9-11. So this is just the logical conclusion of that. And I'm all for it because it speeds up airports so much.

So as long as there's a way to opt out, you know, I think for most passengers, this is going to be awesome.

SANCHEZ: And Clint Henderson, thanks so much for being with us.

HENDERSON: Anytime.

SANCHEZ: Coming up, the Minnesota Vikings standing by their cheer squad after the first male members endure a barrage of criticism and homophobic messages online.

[15:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: The NFL's Minnesota Vikings today are playing defense, tackling online trolls by showing support for the team's two male cheerleaders. The backlash erupted last week when the Vikings posted a video announcing this year's cheer squad. You can see in the video, Blaze Sheik and Louis Kahn, both making the team for the first time this year.

Since the team's announcement, the two men have faced a ton of hateful comments on social media, including anti-gay slurs. The online hate prompted Sheik to post a picture of himself and Kahn in their cheer uniforms with the caption, Did someone say our name?

The Vikings also responded in a statement obtained by CNN. The team says, quote, Every member of the Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders program has an impressive dance background and went through the same rigorous audition process. Individuals were selected because of their talent, passion for dance, and dedication to elevating the game day experience.

In a video posted by the Vikings, Sheik and Kahn talk about the process of making the team. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I chose to try out for the Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders because I love the way they incorporate technique and style into their dancing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I went to a lot of Vikings games with my family, mainly my dad. Was definitely watching the cheerleaders, thinking like, I wish I could do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Let's discuss with Napoleon Jennings. He's one of the NFL's first male cheerleaders. Napoleon, thanks so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us.

Are you surprised to see the negative reaction that we've seen? Why do you think people are so angry about this?

NAPOLEON JINNIES, ONE OF NFL'S FIRST MALE CHEERLEADERS: Well, thank you for having me. It's nice to meet you, Boris. I think it's just based on location.

I mean, some places are more tolerable and accepting of others. For me personally, in LA, the backlash was minimal, you know, because dance entertainment is here. So I just think that a lot of people don't pay attention to the cheerleaders.

And when they do, because of their adding males and they're leaning more towards co-ed, everyone has an opinion about it. So I think it's just basically about your location at this point.

[15:50:00]

SANCHEZ: What was the experience like for you being one of the NFL's first male cheerleaders and going on the road?

Because LA may be a fairly tolerant place, but I imagine you're going to a lot of places where folks may not be quite as welcoming of male cheerleaders. Did you ever see any anger in the crowds that you were in front of?

JINNIES: Yes. Preseason was quite intense for us, but we have a zero tolerance on hate and hate speech. So a lot of people were removed instantly. The Rams were very great and taking care of us, very communicative.

They also took the same risk as the Minnesota Vikings with knowing they possibly might lose season members for the year. And they didn't care because they know that worth they put behind their cheerleaders and how they stand behind us and also how the organization, what they actually represent in the community.

So the backlash was apparent, but I think the good overshadowed all the negativity in the end.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it just seems odd that people would get so animated about something like this. I wonder how common is it to see male cheerleaders in the NFL?

JINNIES: Towards more like the East Coast, you would have traditional like yellers and stunt men. So when people think of NFL cheerleaders, you think of the big men throwing the women in the air, more gymnastics and stunting. But the more you, you know, get towards the middle of the country and then go to the West Coast, it's more dance teams. We're all cheerleaders, but it's more dance team based.

So I think now that we're fully integrated and not like an accessory doing the same moves, the same motions as the women counterparts on the team. I don't know, it's just different for most people.

But I don't know, it's interesting if you're looking at a team of 20 women or 30 women and there's one guy, all you can concentrate is on the guy. So I mean, you're not forced to look that way. There's, you can look elsewhere, in my opinion.

SANCHEZ: Yes, I mean, and there's a lot going on on a football field, so you don't necessarily have to focus on something, you know, if for whatever reason it upsets you, you don't even have to focus on that. So I wonder what your message is to the folks who do and have said such mean things to these folks.

JINNIES: I mean, these are high talented athletes. We've trained our entire lives. We get put through the ringer through auditions and re- audition every year.

So I mean, if you can't appreciate the entertainment, the athleticism, how easy we make it look, look somewhere else. And if you're leaving your team because of a dance program or a cheer program, I don't think you're a true fan of the franchise or your team anyways, so.

SANCHEZ: That's a really good point. That's a really good point.

Do you have any advice for Blaze, Louie and other male cheerleaders out there?

JINNIES: Oh my gosh. No, they're fabulous. If you've seen any of their routines from preseason, they are killing it. Not a step missed.

Honestly, just do you. It's just dance and cheerleading at the end of the day. Like it's your calling, it's entertainment. You're on the highest level. You've worked and earned your spot. You're not hurting anybody. If anything, you're entertaining anybody on a hot day. So yes, just have the best time out there, especially your rookie season.

SANCHEZ: Napoleon Jinnies, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your experience.

JINNIES: Thank you for having me.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

Still to come, if it looks like Justin Bieber and it sounds like Justin Bieber, is it really Justin Bieber or someone else? A crowd in Las Vegas found out.

We'll explain in just moments.

[15:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We continue to track Hurricane Erin as it moves closer to the East Coast. Forecasters say Erin is now moving north-northwest, an improvement for vulnerable coastlines in the mid-Atlantic states.

They are warning though that life-threatening rip currents are still expected along East Coast beaches. The storm has maximum sustained winds near 105 miles an hour. It grew rapidly from a Category 1 to a Category 5 in just 24 hours before diminishing now to a Category 2.

The latest update says that the combination of dangerous storm surge and the tide could cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland that could cause flooding. We're of course keeping an eye on this storm and we'll keep you updated as it moves closer to the U.S.

Before we go, we have to tell you about a Las Vegas nightclub that thought they got the surprise of a lifetime, an unexpected performance by pop star Justin Bieber. If it sounds hard to believe, you're right.

It turns out the guy the DJ handed the mic to was just a Justin Bieber impersonator. You see him there in a hoodie. In a video posted to Instagram, the DJ said he had no idea it wasn't the Beeb until he got off the stage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was insane. We gotta talk.

That was actually insane. Complete fake. No way. I swear on my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: You've been punked. The club eventually figured it out, reportedly kicking the imposter out and banning him from the venue. Here's my take.

[16:00:00] If they were entertained, if it sounded and acted just like Justin Bieber, why not let him go on for a while? Maybe make it a karaoke night at the nightclub.

That's all for me this afternoon. Thank you so much for joining us. "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts in just a few seconds.

END