Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Tiger Woods' Injuries May Be Serious; Exclusive Look at Russia's COVID-19 Vaccine Manufacturing Facility; Interview with Fulfill FoodBank CEO and President Kim Guadagno. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired February 24, 2021 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Right. So they also used screws and pins to stabilize the foot and the ankle bones, and relieved pressure to his leg's muscle and soft tissue by surgically releasing the covering of the muscle.

What does this all mean? We don't know, but Dr. Scott Boden certainly does. We're so glad you can join us because you live and breathe this stuff. This is what you do as a professor and chair of the Department of Orthopaedics at Emory University School of Medicine, so thank you, Doctor, for being here.

All the stuff that Jim and I just described to the viewer, can you help us understand what that means about the seriousness of his injury and any potential comeback athletically?

SCOTT BODEN, PROFESSOR AND CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF ORTHOPAEDICS, EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Absolutely. Well, first of all, what we know from the -- from the public reporting is that he broke the lower part of his leg, the tibia and the fibula bones, and he broke them potentially in two places.

And so I can show you on this model that right below the knee, you can see the big bone, which is the tibia, and the fibula is the small bone. And so we're assuming that he broke both of those bones somewhere below the knee.

And then, again, those two bones are also near the ankle and the foot. And so here again is the big bone and the small bone, and there may have been a second break there.

One of the reasons he probably had emergency surgery was because it was a compound fracture, meaning there was a break in the skin, and that means that there's an increased risk of infection if the fracture isn't washed out quickly. And it also means that there's a little higher chance that the bone won't heal in the normal timeframe.

Another indication that this is potentially a more serious injury is the part about having to release the covering of the muscle. And as you can see on this little model of the ankle and the foot, the muscles here, each of these muscle compartments has a thin lining on it called the fascia. And when there's a big injury in the muscle compartment, pressure can

build up that can affect the nerves and the blood vessels. And so they released that pressure in those muscle compartments to try and prevent some of the downstream further damage that can occur from too much pressure building up.

That sometimes is going to need skin grafting and other subsequent operations, depending on how much swelling he had in the area.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: So, Doctor Boden -- of course we should acknowledge you're not his doctor, you're not in the room. But speaking in generalities here -- based on your experience, when you see injuries like this, what is the general recovery hopes, right?

I mean, one, just for simple things, walking around, that sort of thing. But listen, this is a high-level athlete, it's a difficult recovery at that standard as well.

BODEN: Yes. So for an elite athlete like Tiger, you know, he's got as good a chance from coming back from this as anybody does. And we know never to count Tiger out from --

HARLOW: Right.

BODEN: -- a recovery.

I think one of the things that we don't know yet is whether the joint surfaces and the cartilage that line those joints in the ankle have been affected. That's one of the things that potentially doesn't heal as well and could slow or limit his recovery and-or motion and pain, and we just don't have enough information at this point.

But from what we know, just from a tibia and a fibular fracture with a rodding, generally the recovery from that, you know, should be very good. It's really the soft tissue injuries and what's going on down in the foot and ankle that we don't quite have enough information about just yet.

HARLOW: And finally, doctor, when would his doctors know that? Are we talking about months out, physical therapy and all of that stuff until you can really determine?

BODEN: Well, if the fractures do not involve the joint surfaces, I mean, they probably know that now by looking at the X-rays. If they do involve the joint surfaces, then it is a matter of kind of watching and waiting and see how things heal and getting back motion as quickly as possible.

We don't have a lot of information about the ankle and the foot fractures just yet, and that's really I think going to be one of the (inaudible).

SCIUTTO: And I know that's something that they'll be assessing over time. Well, good to have your expertise here to help us understand the broader picture, Dr. Scott Boden, thanks very much.

BODEN: Thank you.

[10:34:22]

SCIUTTO: Happening now, President Biden's pick to lead the CIA is facing lawmakers on Capitol Hill. We're going to have a live update on his confirmation hearing. That is Bill Burns, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: So Russia's Sputnik V COVID vaccine has become one of the world's most pre-ordered ones. This is according to figures from the Russia Direct Investment Fund. At least 30 countries have signed contracts for 2.5 billion doses so far -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: Is it reliable? CNN's Matthew Chance gained exclusive access to Russia's vaccine factory. He was even able to get a shot himself.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This site was once a Cold War biological weapons center: secret, remote and closed. But CNN has gained exclusive access to the high- tech facility where Russia now makes Sputnik V, its controversial but effective COVID-19 vaccine.

DMITRY POTERYAEV, CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER, GENERIUM PHARMACEUTICAL: The next important part is to get the extra-pure, clean and sterile water.

CHANCE: Right.

CHANCE (voice-over): Every step in the large-scale process had to be carefully calibrated, the chief scientist tells me, delaying mass production of Sputnik V, approved in August of last year, until now.

CHANCE: Have you already made that step, are you already now producing millions of vaccines, millions of doses every month?

[10:40:07]

POTERYAEV: Yes, we are producing several millions of vaccine every month. And we are hoping soon to get even higher amount made, like 10 or 20 million per month.

CHANCE (voice-over): With those numbers, Russian officials now say any healthy adult here who wants Sputnik V can have it, opening pop-up clinics like this one in a Moscow mall, encouraging shoppers to get vaccinated, offering a free ice cream with every job to sweeten the deal. Even the secretive Russian lab that pioneered Sputnik V has opened its doors, offering the vaccine directly, as it were, from the source.

CHANCE: OK, I'm rolling up.

I'm not that nervous about having the Russian vaccine because (INAUDIBLE) you know, it's had large-scale clinical trials, and it's been peer-reviewed in a major journal, and it's been found to be very safe and 91.6 percent effective, which is very good. Anyway. Anyway, it's too late now, because it's -- it's been done.

The interesting thing though is the fact that I can get a vaccine here in Russia at all, given that I'm not in a vulnerable category.

CHANCE (voice-over): Fact is, a country with one of the world's highest numbers of COVID-19 infections also has one of its highest vaccine hesitancy rates, fewer than 40 percent willing to have the jab according to one recent opinion poll.

You'd think Vladimir Putin would step forward to allay public fears. Unlike many other world leaders, the Russian president has yet to take the plunge. The Kremlin says it will announce when a presidential vaccination takes place. But in a country that looks to its strongman for the lead, his vaccine hesitancy is doing nothing to bolster confidence.

POTERYAEV: The packed and labeled vaccine is stored before being distributed to the patient already (ph).

CHANCE: And this is how they're distributed? How many doses in this box?

CHANCE (voice-over): Still, more than 50 countries have now ordered Sputnik V, according to the RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund.

Russians may still be shunning their vaccine --

POTERYAEV: The same boxes are going to Argentina, Brazil and other countries.

CHANCE: Right, wherever it goes in the world.

CHANCE (voice-over): -- but global demand for Sputnik V continues to surge. Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Big implications for soft power there.

Right now, President Biden's pick to head the CIA, Ambassador William Burns, is facing questions during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill.

HARLOW: That's right. If he is confirmed -- and it's expected that he will be -- Burns would be the first career diplomat to serve as the agency head, would take over at a time of escalating threats from China, Iran and Russia, notably. Alex Marquardt joins us with the latest.

You know, it's interesting because, you know, from the Reagan administration to the Obama administration, it seems like this should be pretty easy confirmation. What is key about him?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, unlike some of President Biden's other nominees, Ambassador Burns is expected to sail through, deeply respected diplomat who served more than three decades in the Foreign Service.

He was just introduced by the former Republican secretary of state, James Baker, as well as Leon Panetta, who was the CIA director under President Obama. He actually just finished his opening statement just moments ago, he's about to start being questioned by members of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

TEXT: Williams Burns, Nominee for CIA Director: Veteran diplomat who served in posts around the world from the Reagan to Obama admins; Was ambassador to Jordan in the Clinton admin and to Russia under George W. Bush

MARQUARDT: In that opening statement, he hit on four major areas. He singled out China, as what he called the biggest geopolitical test for the United States. And for the CIA, he says that means intensified focus and urgency on China.

He talks about the need to maintain a technological edge, particularly in cyber. He talks about the need to support and bolster the CIA workforce. And then finally, he said that he will focus on key partnerships, including the director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, as well as the 17 other intelligence agencies, as well as, on top of all that, the intelligence agencies of foreign countries, key partners like the Five Eyes partners.

Now, there is no doubt that he is deeply respected as a diplomat. The question now is how a seasoned diplomat will run a massive intelligence agency -- Jim and Poppy.

SCIUTTO: Yes, and an agency that was a target of the last sitting president.

All right, we're nearly 2.5 years out from the brutal murder of journalist and "Washington Post" columnist Jamal Khashoggi. We are learning that we might have, as soon as tomorrow, a declassified U.S. intel assessment on who was responsible for this. What do you know?

MARQUARDT: That's right. Long-awaited, unclassified assessment from the U.S. intelligence community. This was actually written into law, and this is something that was ignored by the Trump administration, something the Biden administration and the director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, said she would put out soon.

[10:45:03]

Now, we are learning -- my colleague Zach Cohen and I are being told by multiple sources that could come as soon as tomorrow. And the big question is whether there is a smoking gun that will solidly tie the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, to the murder of Jama Khashoggi.

You guys will remember that after Khashoggi was killed, the CIA assessed with a high degree of confidence that MBS had ordered the killing. The U.N. later found that it was inconceivable that this sophisticated plot could have gone off without MBS' knowledge.

So the big question is, what evidence will be presented about who was behind the killing, and to what extent the crown prince, who is the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, was involved and behind it -- Jim, Poppy.

HARLOW: Yes, OK, Alex, we'll wait for that as early as tomorrow. Thank you for that reporting on both fronts.

Right now, millions of children in America, in this country, do not have enough to eat, largely because their parents cannot afford it given this pandemic and economic crisis. We will speak with a food bank lead who is stepping in after a third grader broke down during her Zoom class in school. Her words? I'm starving.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:46]

HARLOW: Well, a brave third-grade little girl in New Jersey and her family are now getting the help and the food that they desperately need. This after she literally broke down during a digital learning class, and told her teacher that it was because she was starving.

Her family, like millions devastated by the pandemic's economic crisis. According to Feeding America's latest estimates, about 17 million children in this country are going without enough to eat this year.

With me now is Kim Guadagno, the CEO and the president of Fulfill FoodBank in New Jersey, also the former lieutenant governor of the state.

I'm so glad you're with us, Kim, thank you very much. And if we could just start on this little girl. I mean we were all heartbroken, reading about it, because of course she can't concentrate in class when she is starving. How did it get to this point for her family?

KIM GUADAGNO, CEO AND PRESIDENT, FULFILL FOODBANK: Well, Poppy, you know, when the state shut down, any person in the restaurant business was out of a job. And this is a single mom, she has three kids all under the age of 12. This little girl's in the third grade in a school Monmouth County, and she just couldn't take it any more.

Between March and the first or second week of January, that family had had no services and no food, and it was just -- it was heartbreaking for all of us. The phone call actually came from a social worker, teacher quickly called the social worker at the school. And the social worker called us and said, you know, this family needs help, they're in crisis.

HARLOW: Yes. You know, all New Jersey school districts have been providing these take-home breakfasts and lunches. Even if the school's not open, you can go each day and pick up the meals. But obviously that's very logistically complex for families, getting there, et cetera. Do you have evidence that the virtual schooling is making it even harder for you guys to reach children in need?

GUADAGNO: Well, it's hard to find them because we don't know where they are. So -- and the schools can't tell us where they are, so we try to work with the schools. We'll go to wherever you're delivering those breakfasts and lunches, and we'll drop off dinners. And we've dropped off millions of dinners to families throughout our area.

But you know, we're still -- there's food still falling through the cracks. Where they used to get breakfast and lunch at school, we would do the afternoon meals and the weekend meals. And now, we are struggling to try to find them. And all over the country, I think that struggle is occurring.

HARLOW: For sure. I mean, just looking at your data, I believe you've seen a 64 percent increase in childhood hunger. In the northern parts of New Jersey and those counties, a 92 percent increase, all of this during COVID. And my question to you is, I mean, you're a Republican, and right now you've got this $1.9 trillion Biden stimulus plan that doesn't have the support (ph) of a single Republican senator --

GUADAGNO: Right.

HARLOW: -- they want a smaller, more targeted bill.

Politics aside, I mean, has this partisan bickering over economic aid in Washington put the families that rely on you for help in even more dire straits?

GUADAGNO: Look, I can tell you this: hunger has no politics. And we don't talk about politics when we talk about a child who's nine years old, who's brave enough to stand up in the middle of a virtual classroom and say, I need help. But there's 400,000 more of those children in New Jersey, and millions, as you already said, throughout the United States.

You know, this is what government should be doing. We should be helping these people now. That's what a safety net is all about, that's what crisis boxes are about, food stamps, affordable care, benefits, anything like that. That's what we do here at Fulfill.

We don't ask what party they are, we don't ask what country they're from or whether they're documented or not. They say they're hungry, we get them to the food they need now. We need to stabilize those families, and if it means the Republicans and the Democrats have to get together? Well, they should get together because this is what they were hired to do.

HARLOW: Yes. There's no question about it. And very quickly, before we go, there's a really interesting opinion piece in "The New York Times" today, basically saying it's good the Biden administration is pushing to make these changes to help elevate 45 percent of kids in poverty, out of poverty. But they actually say the Biden administration should take a note from Mitt Romney, whose plan they say would be longer than just a year and would make more of a difference for a longer period of time.

[10:55:02]

Do you think this is a moment when both parties are actually going to come together on the crisis that is childhood poverty in America?

GUADAGNO: I think it has to be. I think if there was ever a time to do it, the time is now. And this is the reason, because these children literally are starving. And they're (INAUDIBLE) -- imagine the guts it took for that nine-year-old child to stand up and say I'm hungry, I just cannot imagine children all over this country doing that, and any politician or any parent standing for it.

So any -- I think this is the time they'll do it, yes.

HARLOW: I hope you're right. Thank you so much, and thanks for the work --

(CROSSTALK)

GUADAGNO: Yes, thank you.

HARLOW: -- you do.

GUADAGNO: Thanks, Poppy.

(CROSSTALK)

HARLOW: Thanks to everyone for -- of course. Thanks for joining us, we'll see you tomorrow. I'm Poppy Harlow.

SCIUTTO: And I'm Jim Sciutto. NEWSROOM with Kate Bolduan starts right after a short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:00]