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Drugmaker Merck Announces Development Of Antiviral Pill That Cuts COVID Hospitalization And Death By Half; Marches Take Place Across U.S. To Protest Texas Antiabortion Law; California To Add COVID Vaccine To Existing List Of Inoculations Required For In-Person Learning; Democrat Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema Holding Up Deal on Senate Budget Reconciliation Bill; Global Supply Chain Disruptions Causing Higher Prices For Goods And Services. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired October 02, 2021 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: NOAA says they were able to collect critical scientific data, and thankfully hurricane Sam is not expected to make landfall in the U.S.

Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin this hour with a troubling new milestone in the fight against COVID. More than 700,000 people have now died of coronavirus in the United States since the start of the pandemic, and tragically, more than 100,000 of those deaths have come since June 15th when vaccines were made widely available for people 18 and over.

There is some optimism on the horizon. Merck says its new antiviral drug cuts the risk of hospitalizations and deaths by 50 percent for COVID patients. CNN's Polo Sandoval joining me now from New York with more on all of this. Polo?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Dr. Scott Gottlieb, he's the former head of the FDA, calls this a potential gamechanger in the fight against the coronavirus simply because, if you consider the potential benefits of this drug, Dr. Gottlieb is saying that it would potentially be effective not just for those who have been fully vaccinated and experienced breakthrough cases, but also for Americans that refuse to get vaccinated.

All of that being said, experts across the board are still telling us that, if approved, this would still not be a substitute for a vaccine.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As early as next fall, California students will be required to be COVID-19 vaccinated, says the state's governor. Gavin Newsom made the announcement Friday, saying his state is the first in the nation to add a COVID vaccine to the existing list of inoculations required for in-person learning. GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM, (D) CALIFORNIA: I want to get this behind us, get

this economy moving again, make sure our kids never have to worry about getting a call saying they can't go to school the next day because one of the kids or a staff member tested positive.

SANDOVAL: The governor expects the new requirements will be phased in by groups, grades seven through 12 and K through grade six only after the FDA fully approves the vaccine for that cohort. Parents anxiously waiting to vaccinate children under 12 remain hopeful that that may happen by Halloween.

There's also optimism about what may become the first oral medication to cut the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization or death by nearly half. Molnupiravir is not a vaccine, but an antiviral designed to fight the virus early after a COVID diagnoses, according to experts. Merck, the pill's manufacturer, says it's seeking emergency use authorization from the FDA as soon as possible.

RICHARD BESSER, FORMER CDC ACTING DIRECTOR: I'm very excited about a drug going forward to FDA for consideration. We do need better treatments. We do need oral therapy. It's not a replacement for vaccination. Prevention is the best way to go. But when people get COVID, we need to be able to provide them with better treatment.

SANDOVAL: With about 77 percent of eligible Americans having had at least one vaccine dose, health officials remain hopeful those who need a second dose will get one. In New York City the deadline for teachers to comply with the city's vaccination mandate has come and gone. More than 90 percent of the roughly 78,000 teachers in the public school system received a shot according to the city. Those who didn't include Stephanie Edmonds, who now face being forced onto unpaid leave.

STEPHANIE EDMONDS, NEW YORK CITY TEACHER DEFIED VACCINATION MANDATE: Unless anything changes, come Monday, they've decided that I'm a threat to public health. And I think that goes against some of the very basic values of this country. Of course, we need to balance freedom and safety, but I would say this is an overstep.

SANDOVAL: The head of the city's department of education tells CNN the few teachers who remain defiant of the mandate can still reconsider.

MEISHA PORTER, CHANCELLOR, NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: We hope and look forward to teachers continuing to get vaccinated over the weekend, because if they do, we look forward to welcoming them back into their classrooms. We want them with their students.

SANDOVAL: In addition to considering Pfizer shots for people under 12, an FDA vaccine advisory committee plans to take up the issue of Moderna and J&J boosters in the coming weeks. Also on tap, discussions about data on a mix and match booster approach.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

SANDOVAL (on camera): Back here in New York City there were four teachers that actually petitioned the Supreme Court asking that they halt that New York City vaccination mandate. In fact, you just heard from one of those teachers a short while ago in that piece.

Her reason for not getting the vaccine was religious in nature. Now, in terms of the response to that, the Supreme Court then responded, declining that challenge, or at least denying that challenge, I should say. That means that that mandate will take effect on Monday, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Polo Sandoval, thanks so much.

On to Alabama now, where Governor Kay Ivey signed a law to use COVID relief funds to help build two new state prisons. Critics call the move absurd, saying the federal dollars should be used to improve the state's pandemic response. Here now is CNN's Dianne Gallagher.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The state of Alabama planning to use hundreds of millions of dollars in COVID relief funds to build new prisons.

[14:05:03]

GOV. KAY IVEY, (R) ALABAMA: We've got an Alabama problem, and we're going to give it an Alabama solution.

GALLAGHER: That solution, a roughly $1.3 billion package, laid out in a series of bills to build two new prisons while closing or renovating the existing ones. The majority is paid for in bonds and through the state general fund. But up to $400 million, more than 30 percent of the total cost, would come from the money issued to Alabama under the American Rescue Plan. It's a move Republicans say is legal under the broad federal guidelines.

STEVE CLOUSE, (R) ALABAMA STATE REPRESENTATIVE: The only two prohibitions are you cannot spend these funds on a tax cut, and you can't use the funds to prop up your pension program.

GALLAGHER: But opponents say just because it might be legal doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.

KIRK HATCHER, (D) ALABAMA STATE SENATOR: We haven't done our due diligence in terms of responding to the COVID crisis. It is, in my view, morally reprehensible for us to even consider using those funds.

GALLAGHER: Alabama is among the states that get more federal funding than they provide in federal taxes. The state currently has the fourth highest COVID death rate in the nation and is in the top 10 when it comes to the COVID case rate per 100,000 people.

KATIE HILL, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER ACTION FUND: Our nursing homes need this money. Our rural hospitals, especially, need this money. And because our rural hospitals are failing, our urban hospitals need this money.

HATCHER: We had meetings just yesterday regarding people who still need rent assistance on a massive level. Those funds were earmarked for things like that. GALLAGHER: The governor's urgency to address the prison problem,

stemming in part from a lawsuit filed by the Trump Department of Justice last year that alleged conditions and the violence in Alabama's prisons violate the U.S. Constitution.

This week New York Congressman Jerry Nadler asked the U.S. Treasury Department to block Alabama from using federal funds to build prisons, writing, quote, "The America Rescue Plan is a historic effort to provide urgent assistance in a time of great suffering. It should not be used to worsen our national problem of overincarceration."

Governor Ivey shot back on Twitter, accusing Nadler of overstepping, and insisting the funds can be used for, quote, "lost revenue."

IVEY: Nothing about this is going to be easy.

GALLAGHER: Dianne Gallagher, CNN, Montgomery, Alabama.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: And right now in Washington, a massive march is underway. Thousands of women are protesting Texas' restrictive anti-abortion law which bans all abortions after six weeks. Many women don't even know they're pregnant that early. The demonstration is one of more than 600 marches happening across the country in support of abortion rights.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is at the march in the nation's capital. The volume is a little lower, but that doesn't mean people are gone. They've just relocated, right?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, they are on the move. There are thousands and thousands of people that are heading down Pennsylvania avenue and then on to Constitution, originally here at Freedom Plaza. But essentially what they want to draw a huge spotlight to is the Supreme Court. That is where they're going to be ending their day marching to the Supreme Court building.

The main message here, it's not general as it was five years ago when I covered that march. There were hundreds of thousands of women, many of them donning these pink, handknitted hats, and you had celebrities like Alicia Keys and Madonna. This is much more focused. This is focused on reproductive rights, on abortion rights, and on the Supreme Court's role in all of this.

They are putting a spotlight on the Texas law banning abortion after six weeks, no exception to rape or incest, and essentially a law that deputizes citizens to file lawsuits against doctors who do conduct those abortions. They are laser focused on that and the Supreme Court's decision not to interfere, not to get involved in that particular case.

Many of the people I talked to very passionate about this particular issue, and they say it is a political issue, a personal one, and that is why they are out here today, focused on the Supreme Court and some decisions that will come down the line. Take a listen, Fred.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLLEEN MURPHY, ATTENDING WOMEN'S MARCH: I'm an abortion provider, and so I know the needs of women that face that choice. And it's very personal, it's something that a woman and their family and everyone involved needs to have a personal ability to make that choice without the interference of other people.

And ultimately, too, I do think this is really fundamentally about the separation of church and state, too, where there are people that really feel strongly in terms of their religious beliefs. And I certainly respect those, but I have my own beliefs, and you need to respect mine as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And, Fred, the Supreme Court comes back into session on Monday, and that is where they'll be actually taking up a case out of Mississippi, a law that prohibits, bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, no exceptions for rape or incest.

[14:10:06]

That is a case that they will hear and potentially rule on about midyear 2022, around the times that the midterm election campaigns will be in full swing. And so that is why as well you see this as a very front and center issue now for the political establishment, but also for many of these women who have come from all over the country to say how that could impact them as well, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Suzanne Malveaux, thank you so much.

Coming up, President Biden has long touted his ability to negotiate across the aisle. But now he is being tested on his ability to negotiate with members of his own party in order to get piece of his own agenda to the finish line.

And later, supply chain issues disrupting the shipments of everyday goods, including toys, toilet paper, even baseball bobbleheads.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:15:05]

WHITFIELD: House speaker Nancy Pelosi how says $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill must pass the House by Halloween. The new deadline coming as Democrats have hit the pause button on that legislation. And the president's larger spending package after moderate and progressive Democrats hit an impasse, Democrats ended the week without a vote or a deal on the president's sweeping domestic agenda, despite days of frantic negotiations and deadlines.

Joining me right now to discuss this is CNN political commentator David Swerdlick. David, always good to see you. So Joe Biden, he is a long-time negotiator, long-time senator on the Hill, and is known for working across the aisle. But now the challenge is working with people within his own party. Does it appear the president has the clout or stamina or strategy to try and bring his party together so that they can coalesce on his agenda?

DAVID SWERDLICK, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Happy Saturday, Fred. I do think President Biden can bring this home for Democrats, can sell the plan within the Democratic caucus on the Hill and to the public, in part because the programs in the Democratic legislation are popular programs. They poll well.

The reason it's tough sledding right now is both that there's resistance from some of those centrist Democrats like Senator Manchin and Senator Sinema, and because President Biden's approval rating is down from where he started at 55 percent to about 49 percent now in the Real Clear Politics average. Every time your approval goes down a little bit, it gets that much harder to sell.

I think what Democrats need to do is focus on getting a win here, even if it's not exactly the win they want. Think about what Republicans would do. If Donald Trump only got half of the budget he was asking for, he would still go for it, declare victory, and say he had delivered the greatest thing since sliced bread to the American people. And Democrats may need to take a page from that kind of book, even though they care very dearly about some of these programs.

WHITFIELD: And David, here are some of the things that you say that are popular among Americans, that they like in these proposals -- universal childcare, early pre-k education, decreasing health care costs for 43 million seniors, dealing with issues of climate change by investing in green infrastructure. Yet one of the criticisms from progressives is that negotiations are focusing too much on the price tags and not enough on those measures, those programs. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): What is it that they don't want to fund? They don't want to fund the vision and dental visits for seniors? Is it that they don't want to fund free community college? Is it that they don't want to fund paid family leave? And then we can have the conversation. But I don't think we should start with the top line. We should start with what are the programs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And I just talked to Congressman Ruben Gallego who said virtually the same thing. So is that part of the problem, that there's too much focus on the cost and not enough on content?

SWERDLICK: Fred, that is part of the problem. Congressman Gallego and Congressman Khanna are both right. The two Democrats who are really standing in the way of this moving forward, Manchin and Sinema, have kept talking about that the $3.5 trillion number on the reconciliation bill is too high. Manchin has said he would only go for $1.5 trillion, and they never say this program is too expensive or this program is unnecessary.

WHITFIELD: They've been vague.

SWERDLICK: They just want to keep cutting that top number. On the other hand, "Slate's" Jordan Weissmann had a great piece

yesterday where he actually laid out what Democrats could do if they only got that $1.5 trillion, plus the $1 trillion in the infrastructure package, $2.5 trillion, even if it's not what they want, that's real money, Fred. And there are some interesting things they could do and live to fight another day.

WHITFIELD: You, too, had a great piece in the "Washington Post" on one of the biggest roadblocks to passing the agenda comes from Joe Manchin, who you had focused on, a senator that is in the Democratic Party. And you wrote in that piece about Manchin and that his opposition to the price tag of this $3.5 trillion spending plan.

And I just want to take a portion of it. Here's the headline. He wants a much smaller $1.5 trillion bill, where you write further, "Manchin's arguments don't square with his state's place in the perpetual size of government debate. He talks like a provider carefully husbanding revenue, even though he represents West Virginia, a state that gets more from the federal government than it gives in tax receipts." So now here's my question. So does anyone know what Manchin wants?

SWERDLICK: Yes. His position just doesn't square quite, Fred. He keeps talking about debt and deficits and inflation, but his state benefits more than almost all other states from the federal government running deficits. Depending on which list you look at, West Virginia gets about $2 in federal spending for every $1 that it gives to the federal government in tax receipts.

[14:20:06]

So his state is not a maker state, is the way I put it in that piece. It's a taker state. So his position, I think it's very arguable and it's part of the ongoing debate about budgets, and he has some valid points. But to make those points when your state is one of the states that absolutely needs those deficits to be run, I think is inconsistent, if not a little bit incoherent.

WHITFIELD: And then David, let's contrast that with this. Manchin was confronted this week on his yacht that he lives on when he's in D.C., and he was confronted by West Virginia activists who were in kayaks yelling at him to support the president's agenda. Listen and watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you going to do for the poor in West Virginia?

SEN. JOE MANCHIN, (D-WV): We're going to be working, everything we can to create good opportunities.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we need to tax the rich.

MANCHIN: I agree with that. I definitely agree. That's the number one thing we should be doing is fixing the tax code so everybody pays their fair share. We should be also negotiating for lower drug prices. We should be doing all these things. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK, I don't know the full story behind the yacht. Nobody should hate over that. But the optics of the content of their conversation and his positioning, it just doesn't look great.

SWERDLICK: It's not great optics. He's got that "Almost Heaven West Virginia" John Denver reference on the boat there. He's sitting there looking down on constituents who are begging him to move forward with his party on this. It doesn't look good.

And for the reasons we were just talking about, not specifying which programs he prefers or doesn't prefer in the many statements he made this week make it look like he's just sort of preventing his own party from getting the president's agenda passed.

That said, Senator Manchin knows he's probably the only Democrat who can get elected statewide in West Virginia. I doubt he's sweating over that footage there.

WHITFIELD: David Swerdlick, always good to see you. Thanks for joining us on this happy Saturday, as you put it.

SWERDLICK: You, too, Fred. Thanks.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

All right, another moderate Democrat at the center of the negotiations is Senator Kyrsten Sinema from Arizona, and she's had multiple meetings with President Biden and White House staffers in recent days. CNN's Sunlen Serfaty now takes a closer look at how this first-term senator who entered politics as an anti-war Green Party activist has since become a thorn in Nancy Pelosi's side.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Arizona freshman Senator Kyrsten Sinema emerging as the key player, holding the fate of the president's agenda in her hands, meeting with the president and his team multiple times over the last week.

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: They had a constructive meeting, agreed that we're at a pivotal moment, need to continue to work to finalize the path forward.

SERFATY: With time now running short, the pressure is mounting for her to reveal exactly what she's willing to accept.

REP. RO KHANNA, (D-CA): Literally one senator, one Senator, Kyrsten Sinema, is holding up the will of the entire Democratic Party. The president keeps begging her, tell us what you want.

SERFATY: But so far she has kept that very close to her vest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you say to progressives frustrated that they don't know where you are? SEN. KYRSTEN SINEMA, (D-AZ): I'm in the Senate.

SERFATY: A pattern that Sinema has relied on on Capitol Hill, choosing to operate largely behind the scenes over public posturing as she navigates her outsized power as one of the two key moderate Democrats in the Senate. But it wasn't always this way.

SINEMA: It is merely a distraction.

SERFATY: Sinema first started out far left of center as a Green Party activist, entering politics in Arizona as a Ralph Nader supporter, organizing anti-war protests after the September 11th attacks, which drew attacks years later when she ran for Senate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kyrsten Sinema was protesting us in a pink tutu.

SERFATY: In Arizona's state legislature she fought for LGBTQ rights and against Arizona's controversial immigration law.

SINEMA: They passed an unconstitutional immigration bill that does nothing to solve our state's problems.

SERFATY: Her politics began to shift as she sought higher office. After winning her first congressional campaign in 2012, she joined the blue dog coalition, a group of centrist House Democrats.

SINEMA: The American public doesn't care much about Republican or Democrat. They just want solutions.

SERFATY: And with her ascent to the U.S. Senate, she attempted to take over the late Senator John McCain's mantle of maverick.

SINEMA: It was senator McCain's example lighting the way, and with the trust of the people of Arizona shaping my service, I recommit to ignoring political games.

SERFATY: Her maiden speech on the Senate floor foreshadowing how far she has come from her leftist roots, opposing abolishing the filibuster and voting against raising the minimum wage, bucking her party in the model of McCain.

Sinema came from humble beginnings. She grew up in Arizona poor, her family at one point living in an abandoned gas station.

[14:25:04]

SINEMA: Thanks to friends and family, my parents' church, and sometimes the government, I made it through.

SERFATY: She was raised Mormon, but after graduating from Brigham Young University, she left the church.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you believe in God?

SINEMA: I'm not a member of any faith community, and I think that faith is a deeply personal issue that individuals should deal with in their private lives.

SERFATY: At 19 years old she was briefly married, divorced within a few years.

SINEMA: Do we get a spouse? Just kidding.

(LAUGHTER)

SINEMA: Just kidding.

SERFATY: She broke barriers coming to Congress as the first out bi- sexual member, but it's never part of her identity that she's dwelled on. At 45 years old, she is a marathoner and triathlete. Her unique and edgy style from this f-off ring to her colorful wigs to this dangerous creature shirt she wore to preside over the Senate floor.

SEN. MITT ROMNEY, (R-UT): You're breaking the Internet.

SINEMA: Good.

SERFATY: Sunlen Serfaty, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: Coming up, a backup of ships at the port of Los Angeles is just part of the supply chain issue impacting the global economy. How it affects your wallet, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:30:40]

WHITFIELD: If you've been shopping lately, you may have noticed some things are getting harder to find. Everything from toilet paper to new cars are in limited supply, and a lot of what you do find is costing more. CNN's Matt Egan explains why a global supply chain crunch is hitting Americans in the wallet. Hi, Matt.

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Fredricka, normally we don't spend a ton of time thinking about how the stuff we buy gets on the store shelves or arrives at our front doors. It just sort of seems to happen. But behind the scenes, there's an intricate supply chain that builds around getting goods from point A to point B. And that supply chain is facing unprecedented stress right now, just in time for the holiday shopping season.

There's extreme congestion at ports, price spikes on raw materials and shortages of workers, trucks, and truck drivers. All of this helps explain why even Dollar Tree is selling more items above a dollar. It's even testing $3 and $5 items. The company cited rising costs, including freight costs for why it's rolling out higher priced merchandise to up to 3,000 stores.

And Dollar Tree is hardly alone here. In just the last few days we've heard from a whole series of companies, including Nike, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Sherwin-Williams, all of them warning about supply chain stress. Costco is even bringing back buying limits on toilet paper and paper towels, except this time Costco isn't blaming panic buying but supply chain turmoil.

Port congestion is one of the biggest problems that we're hearing about right now. There are more than 70 container ships stacked up outside the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach just waiting to be unloaded. Not only are there delays, but it's getting way more expensive just to ship stuff. The average price of container shipping out of China is up 95 percent since the end of 2020.

There's a number of factors at work. Worker shortages, COVID outbreaks, a failure to invest in ports, extremely high demand for goods, and there's also the fact that we're just buying more stuff online these days.

Unfortunately, there's no easy fix here, and there are signs that the stress is getting worse. We heard a warning from the International Chamber of Shipping this week, and it said that there's a risk of a global transport system collapse. All of this is creating sticker shock for everyday Americans.

A new report from the government found that inflation in August rose at the fastest pace since January of 1991. We know that there's been sticker shock on a whole series of items, everything from bacon and televisions to jewelry has had double digit price increases over the last 12 months.

Fredricka, all of this means that this holiday shopping season, Americans can expect to see longer delays, fewer options, and higher prices.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy, dig deeper. Matt Egan, thank you so much.

One of the biggest bottlenecks in the U.S. supply chain right now is at the Port of Los Angeles. It's the busiest port in the U.S., handling about 20 percent of the cargo for the entire country. And last year it handled more than 1,500 ships. But right now, more than 50 ships are currently waiting to come into port. Just take a look at that. In many cases they're waiting for days.

Gene Seroka is the executive director of the Port of Los Angeles and he's joining us right now. Gene, wow. It is extraordinary to see that picture and to see those huge cargo ships just sitting. So what is the explanation for the backlog? Why can't they come into port and unload?

GENE SEROKA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PORT OF LOS ANGELES: We've got an epic level of consumer buying strength that continues through this COVID-19 overarching effect from over 18 months ago, combined with seasonal goods, back to school, fall fashion, and even Halloween records that were just broken, and of course year-end holidays, including Christmas, all converging at one time.

WHITFIELD: OK, so is it the case that a ship comes in, unloads, it's taking longer? There isn't enough personnel? What is the holdup? Because you're accustomed to accommodating a lot of ships at one time.

[14:35:00]

SEROKA: Ship productivity is up 50 percent since the surge began thanks to our longshore workforce. The cargo that's loaded and unloaded from each ship in Los Angeles on average is more than 11,000 container units, and that's the best in the world.

We also have seen many trends going through this entirety of the surge, and right now U.S. importers cannot pick up the cargo fast enough. Twenty-five percent of all the goods sitting on our docks have been here at least 13 days or more. So we're working very closely with the import community.

We've just created accelerate cargo L.A., where we've turned a push system. We know how much cargo is here and who it belongs to, and we're pushing it out with commitments by those retailers and they're truckers, and we're keeping score.

WHITFIELD: So do you have enough longshore men and women? Are there enough truckers? Has the pandemic made a significant impact in the amount of personnel available to move products?

SEROKA: It sure has. But there are three segments of workers. The longshore workers that we have here on the docks, marine clerks and floor persons, have been on the job an average of six days a week since the pandemic began. We've also hired about 1,000 more registered and casual longshore members, and we'll keep doing just that as an industry.

The truck drivers are a little bit different story. Only half of the 18,000 drivers registered to do business at these twin ports come here at least once a week to do work. We need more drivers in the system. They've left and gone to other segments of industry.

And then thirdly, the warehouse workers who have been particularly hit by employment issues, and those warehouses of which we have 2 billion square feet from the shores of the Pacific to the southern California desert region, the largest in the world, they operate traditionally during the daytime. So part of our work with port enjoy assigned by the White House, John Porcari is to line up this orchestra of participants in the supply chain to work on similar schedules.

WHITFIELD: And then quickly, how big of a difference might it make if there is an infrastructure bill that is passed?

SEROKA: It will make a lot of difference, but it will take time. Over the last decade, Fred, the federal government and U.S. Congress have out-invested the west coast ports at a rate of 11 to one. It's a little more than $11 billion that have gone to the east and gulf coast, and just over $1 billion on the west coast. With 40 percent of the nation's imports coming through this gateway, that's got to change.

WHITFIELD: Gene Seroka, thank you so much for being with us. I appreciate it. I really enjoyed hearing you.

Those supply chain issues left some Atlanta Braves fans emptyhanded this week. Thursday night was supposed to be the bobblehead night at the Braves home game against the Philadelphia Phillies. But instead of handing out 15,000 bobblehead dolls, the braves handed out rainchecks instead. The team says supply chain issues held up the shipment, and fans may not have minded too much. The team clinched its fourth division title and is headed now to the playoffs. Congratulations. And sorry, I guess, right, for the bobbleheads.

Up next, new audio from January 6th further shows just how dangerous and violent that day was. You'll hear the harrowing recordings next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:43:00]

WHITFIELD: The Justice Department is charging a Canadian citizen with conspiracy to help ISIS, accusing him of translating and narrating over a dozen propaganda videos in English. And 38-year-old Mohammed Khalifa is in FBI custody after he was captured in Syria back in 2019. In their announcement, DOJ officials called Khalifa the voice behind the violence.

Many watched in horror on January 6th as rioters clashed with police on the steps of Capitol Hill, but now we're finding out so much more about that day. And the start of the violence happened much earlier than previously reported. New audio reveals police confronting unruly crowds hours before the insurrection started.

Here now is CNN's Whitney Wild.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Newly obtained radio transmissions by the U.S. Park Police and obtained by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington show how dynamic and evolving the situation was for law enforcement hours before the riot happened at the Capitol.

As early as that morning of January 6th, the U.S. Park Police was dealing with an unruly crowd who was reluctant to listen to police, and further were wearing what amounted to riot gear, gasmasks, and in some cases were carrying weapons. The radio transmissions capture around seven hours of the morning of January 7th, and here is a small snippet of what those transmissions show.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a mob of onlookers inside the flag circle right outside the entrance to the monument. So just be advised, when you're coming up to tell that prisoner to stand by for now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have an arrestee inside the Washington Monument. We are going to temporarily close right now so we can further assess what we need to do with the prisoner. There's a large crowd surrounding the monument right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The prisoner is inside the base of the monument with multiple park police officers, but they are completely surrounded with protesters, and they're trying to figure out a plan on how to get the arrestee down to the wagon.

[14:45:09]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have individuals with shields and gasmasks at the statue.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, they're at the Lincoln statue with shields and masks?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten-four. They're taking pictures right now, with a flag that says F- Antifa.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Myself and 21 directs for the unit of 141, monitor only. Do not take any type of enforcement action. Let it happen.

WILD: This is really one of the best ground level looks we have at the problems law enforcement was trying to deal with on January 6th, virtually all at the same time. So you had the problem at the Washington Monument, problems at the Lincoln Memorial.

Meanwhile, they had this pile of backpacks outside the Stop the Steal rally, piles of unattended bags because protesters thought they could bring them into the event, and when they found out they couldn't, they simply left them on the street. So that was another security concern park police was dealing with. Again, this dynamic, changing situation, exhausting law enforcement even before the riot happened.

In Washington, Whitney Wild, CNN.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Whitney.

Houston police say three valet attendants were struck and killed by a driver fleeing police Friday. Authorities say the car had been doing donuts in a private parking lot before getting back on the road, and when police tried to stop the vehicle, it sped up and eventually crashed. The driver and a passenger were taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, and police say the driver will face murder charges.

We'll be right back.

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[14:51:00]

WHITFIELD: All right, it's Japan's Harry and Meghan moment. Princess Mako will soon marry her fiance, her college sweetheart. But when she says I do, she'll be giving up her royal title and all benefits that come with it. Selina Wang reports from Tokyo.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After a three-year delay, Japan's Princess Mako is finally set to marry her fiance Kei Komuro later this month. When their engagement was announced back in 2017, it sounded like a fairytale story, a princess marrying her college sweetheart, giving up her royal title in order to marry a commoner.

But from there things got complicated. The wedding that was planned for 2018 got postponed after reports emerged that Komuro's mother had failed to repay her ex-fiance about $36,000. Komuro has disputed that account, saying that the money was a gift.

But the controversy spiraled, and public opinion turned against Komuro. According to the Imperial Household Agency, the princess has been diagnosed with complex PTSD because of the intense negative media scrutiny towards the couple.

Under tradition, Princess Mako is entitled to a lump sum payment of about $1.35 million in order for her to start this fresh life. But the princess reportedly is going to forgo that money. And Japanese society is split on the marriage. This is what residents told us today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I don't think he is good enough to marry an imperial person. I think that the way of thinking about the imperial family will change because of her marriage. Japanese people's affection towards the imperial family will be gone. It is sad.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): She's been waiting for years, and it must be painful. She hasn't been able to see him for years. But I think it's amazing to see the two have kept together.

WANG: After their marriage, the couple is reportedly set to move to New York where Komuro works at a law firm. He arrived in Tokyo earlier this week for wedding preparations, sporting a ponytail hair style that caused an absolute of frenzy in Japan, with some seeing it as yet another sign of why he is unfit to marry the princess.

The marriage has also renewed concerns in Japan about the country's imperial law. Women, female royals, are barred from the throne, and if they marry commoners, like Princess Mako, they have to leave the royal family and are stripped of their title. Right now there is only young potential successor to the throne.

Selina Wang, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, and thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN Newsroom continues with Jim Acosta after a short break.

But first, a classically trained chef loses her eyesight, and in today's "The Human Factor," meet a woman who turned her blindness into a way helping others to gain independence in the kitchen.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

REGINA MITCHELL, COOKING INSTRUCTOR, BLINDCONNECT: OK, pull my knife out. I'm putting the knife at the top of the cutting board. My name is Regina Mitchell. I am a chef who happens to be blind. I

teach blind individuals how to cook amazing foods for themselves.

I graduated top of my class. I was able to study under other master chefs globally. My right eye was giving me a little pain. The pain grew worse, and I couldn't see. I was diagnosed with bilateral uveitis. It felt like I was losing everything. I lost my independence. I lost my career I loved. I lost my eyesight. I did not cook for a while. My vision was so poor that I was nervous about it. So I understand when someone that's low vision and blind can say, I'm scared, I am not getting back in there.

When the pandemic happened, we know Zoom started happening, and I realized that I can do this. Here is a whole community that's forgotten. So I have to be very descriptive so that they can see what I am do I thinking mind's eye.

[14:55:04]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My wife is amazing, and I am just very proud of her and proud of what she's doing.

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JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: You are live in the CNN Newsroom, I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

We begin with a growing American tragedy.