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China Holds Military Drills Around Taiwan As U.S. Lawmakers Visit Taipei; Health Officials Tracking Highly Contagious Omicron Subvariants; FDA Authorizes First Breathalyzer Test For COVID-19; Upper Airway Infections In Kids More Common With Omicron; Airlines Scramble To Fix Worker & Pilot Shortage; Ukraine National Police: Over 900 Bodies Of Ukrainian Civilians Discovered In Kyiv Region Since Russian Army Withdrawal; French Forensic Experts Exhume Bucha Victims. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired April 15, 2022 - 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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[14:31:16]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: We'll have more from Ukraine in a moment.
But first, there's a show of force in another hot spot. China conducted military drills around Taiwan today.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: The maneuvers taking place as a U.S. congressional delegation visited the island in what Beijing called a provocative trip.
CNN's senior international correspondent, Will Ripley, is in Taipei for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Victor, Alisyn, these are some of the largest Chinese military drills that we've seen in recent months near Taiwan.
And it is significant because it was happening just as there was a bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers on the ground here in Taipei, meeting with the Taiwanese president and others here.
They were here for just about 24 hours or so. But it was enough to draw a very sharp both rhetorical response from Beijing and also these readiness drills, these combat readiness drills involving naval raids and other military exercises in the East Chian Sea and the air space near Taiwan.
There were warships, there were bombers, there were fighter jets. Taiwan has long said that it has been the target of stepped-up military intimidation by Beijing.
Which claim this is self-governing democracy as its own territory, and it has for more than 70 years since the end of China's civil war, even though Beijing's Communist rulers have never controlled this island, which has a democratically elected government and its own military as well.
The response from Beijing is this visit by the U.S. lawmakers is a wrongful sign of support for Taiwan. They say it's bad behavior by the United States. Tactics that China calls "futile and dangerous."
China's Foreign Minister says it opposes any official exchanges between Washington and Beijing in any form and has warned the United States to stop going down what China calls a dangerous road that could lead to a military escalation, Chinese officials are warned.
On the committee was Senator Bob Menendez, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He acknowledged that China is very unhappy about lawmakers being here but says this visit is necessary to reassure Taiwan's leaders.
And also to let the world know that Taiwan's security is important to the United States because it has a global impact.
Senator Menendez talked about Taiwan producing 90 percent of the world's high-end semiconductors, the chips that power everything from our computers to our cameras to our Smartphones.
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham summed up the bigger picture in terms of democracy, saying that to abandon Taiwan would be to abandon democracy and freedom around the world and, as he puts it, reward the worst in humanity -- Victor, Alisyn?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CAMEROTA: Will Ripley, thank you.
BLACKWELL: The FBI said a single hack stole more than $600 million in cryptocurrency. And the feds are blaming hackers associated with North Korea for hitting a video game company one day last month.
CAMEROTA: Cyberattack revenue is believed to be a major source of funding for North Korea's nuclear weapons program. The so-called Lazarus Group has stolen an estimated $1.75 billion worth of cryptocurrency in recent years.
BLACKWELL: Health officials in New York are on alert on two Omicron subvariants that are rapidly spreading across the state. What you need to know.
[14:34:12]
And the FDA giving the green light for a coronavirus breath test. Yes, a COVID breathalyzer. We'll explain next.
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CAMEROTA: Health officials closely tracking two new versions of Omicron. The new subvariants, which could be more contagious, have been detected in nearly every state. And they account for up to 90 percent of new cases in central New York.
BLACKWELL: Let's bring in CNN's Jacqueline Howard.
So, Jacqueline, what do we know about the severity of these new variants?
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: We know it is spreading more quickly. But there does need to be a closer look at just how quickly and like you said, Victor, the severity.
And New York health officials are said that they just want to make people aware of these subvariants.
In fact, here is a entertainment from state health commissioner, Dr. Mary Bassett.
She says, quote, "We are alerting the public to two Omicron subvariants newly emerged and rapidly spreading in Upstate New York so New Yorkers can act swiftly. While these subvariants are new, the tools to combat them are not."
[14:39:57]
So again, Victor and Alisyn, health officials are saying that this is an effort to make people aware. And the tools we have, vaccinations, for instance, play a role in helping with protection.
Health officials also noted that with these subvariants, there's a 23 percent to 27 percent growth advantage above the original BA.2 variant.
So that growth advantage is what is being looked at very closely, how quickly this spreads, how quickly it is growing.
CAMEROTA: And, Jacqueline, the FDA just authorize the first COVID breath tests. How do those work?
HOWARD: That is right. This breath test really analyzes breath samples by looking closely at compounds associated with COVID-19 and a breath sample.
But it is important to mention, Alisyn, these tests will be authorized for use in doctor offices, mobile testing sites, hospitals, but they're not for at-home use. So that is important.
And if you test positive with this breath test, you still will need a nasal PCR test to confirm that positive test.
But here is what we know about the accuracy of these tests. The FDA said that looking at a study of more than 2400 people, the percent of positive samples the test correctly identified was 91 percent.
You see the sensitivity there. And then 99.3 percent. That represents the negative samples that the test correctly identified.
So this is another tool that we have. It looks pretty accurate. And it looks like it is user friendly. So, again, we're adding to our toolkit of testing here -- Alisyn? BLACKWELL: Yes, that is good news. Anything that keeps us from having
to do those tests from the early days that test your eyeballs.
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: -- much better.
BLACKWELL: Yes, much better.
Let me ask you about the new study that is really raising some concerns that Omicron may be more harmful to children than other forms of COVID. What do you know about this?
HOWARD: What the study found, Victor -- and this is something that the pediatricians have noticed with the Omicron wave -- we've seen more children with COVID develop acute upper airway infections.
And an example is what is called croupe. That is when the upper airway becomes inflamed and it makes it difficult to breathe. It is more common in children than adults because children have smaller airways.
And when you look at the data from this study, here is what it found as far as the prevalence of this.
Before the Omicron wave, about 1.4 percent of children hospitalized with COVID-19 had acute upper airway disease in this study. During Omicron, that jumped to 4 percent.
So that is what officials -- I'm sorry -- researchers are taking a close look at. And that is what pediatricians have also noticed as well, Victor. So something to keep an eye on.
BLACKWELL: All right. Jacqueline Howard, keeping an eye on it for us. Thank you.
CAMEROTA: So the airline industry is facing a pilot shortage and it is causing canceled flights and burnout among staff. What they're doing about it, next.
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[14:47:36]
BLACKWELL: The list of problems for the airline industry is growing -- staff shortages and burnout and canceled flights.
CAMEROTA: Spring break travel last week was riddled with cancellations, which could spell more trouble ahead.
CNN aviation correspondent, Pete Muntean, reports.
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PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is the latest challenge to your next trip. Understaffed airlines and overworked flight crews causing carriers to cancel flights. After hundreds of cancelations last weekend, JetBlue announced it is
cutting 8 percent to 10 percent of its summer schedule citing a challenging staffing situation.
The latest numbers show that airlines are still shy more than 30,000 workers compared to before the pandemic.
HENRY HARTEVELDT, ATMOSPHERE RESEARCH GROUP: There was a lot of burnout. And especially among some work groups, I'm hearing from folks saying, I just can't take it anymore.
MUNTEAN: Crew shortages are hitting airlines, large and small.
Alaska Airlines is canceling 2 percent of its flights through June. Delta pilots say they are being pushed to the limit on a regular basis.
EVAN BAACH, AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION: Longer days with shorter nights at home, shorter layovers, and our pilots are tired and fatigue.
MUNTEAN: Pilot reports of fatigue spiked at Southwest Airlines last month. Their union says the company is struggling to retain its newest hires.
CASEY MURRAY, CAPTAIN, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES: This is going to be a critical issue every month and every year that we move forward.
MUNTEAN: Help comes in the form of sky-high hiring goals. Delta wants to hire 200 new pilots each month. JetBlue has already hired 3,000 new crew this year alone.
United Airlines came up with a different solution, opening up its own flight school, a first for any major airline in the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The pilot shortage is real. We can hire pilots at United Airlines. But the regional airlines and smaller airlines have a real pilot shortage and are having real challenges.
MUNTEAN (on camera): United's flight school is called the Aviate Academy and tuition costs about $70,000 to get all the licenses necessary to become an entry level airline pilot.
But consider this. An airline captain make up to $400,000 a year. It is a great time to learn to fly.
Airlines worldwide need to hire about 30,000 new pilots by 2025. That's to keep up with demand and retirements. Remember, there's a mandatory retirement age for airline pilots federally set right now at 65 years old -- Victor and Alisyn?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[14:50:05]
BLACKWELL: Those are some daunting numbers for that industry. CAMEROTA: But if you're looking for a hobby, now is a good time to go
to flight school.
BLACKWELL: A good time. Invest.
CAMEROTA: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Pete Muntean, thank you.
CNN's Jake Tapper sits down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a new interview. They talk about Russia's looming offensive in eastern Ukraine and the sinking of that Russian ship. Jake joins us with a preview, ahead.
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[14:55:07]
CAMEROTA: The bodies of more than 900 civilians have been discovered near Ukraine's capital since the Russian army retreated. This is according to the head of the Kyiv Regional Police.
Today, in Bucha, French forensic experts joining the effort to gather evidence of Russian war crimes. Officials carefully removing body bags from mass graves and examining human remains found in burned-out cars.
In a new op-ed for CNN.com, CNN global affairs analyst, Michael Bociurkiw, warns that Putin has moved the goal posts. Now the West must follow suit.
Michael Bociurkiw joins us now from Kyiv. He's a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.
Michael, always great to see you.
I know you've just returned from Chernihiv. You have provided us with some video of some of the things that you've seen there.
Can you walk us through what you saw?
MICHAEL BOCIURKIW, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Sure. Good to be back with, Alisyn.
Yes, it was a long day in the city, which was a city under siege for many days. And parts of that city is basically flattened.
We saw a lot of examples of what I can best describe to you as senseless bombing. Why bomb a children's library? Why bomb a soccer stadium? Why bomb playgrounds, residential neighborhoods, apartment buildings?
I mean, it was -- I've been to some pretty rough places in the world but this really tops a lot of what I've seen in the past.
We talked to a lot of people and I asked them, what is your immediate need now? A lot of pensioners. They say we need a roof over our head. We have no gas. We have no electricity. They were really suffering out here.
And then one scene, Alisyn, just to wrap up, that really struck me a playground -- I'm sorry -- a front yard of a house full of shredded teddy bears and destroyed toys.
What kind of sick mind does that? And why do they have to do that?
CAMEROTA: Yes, you just can't argue after you see something like that, that they're hitting civilian targets, seemingly intentionally.
So you're back in Kyiv, we can see, after two months of not being there. Why have you returned?
BOCIURKIW: Well, it's more -- I thought it was very important to get closer to the frontline. Today was an example of that. The state railroad company took a big group of correspondents and local correspondents, too.
I think I've also come here to see the damage near Kyiv and to get a sense of what the city is really like.
As I pointed out in that CNN op-ed you reference, you know, the capital usually at this time of year is very vibrant. Ukrainians here would be preparing for their version of Palm Sunday on the Orthodox calendar, the Julian Calendar.
But it's basically a ghost town. I described it as a city kind of in an induced coma.
One of the sad things, of course, on top of the loss of life and all that is the concealment of so many beautiful cultural monuments here. Because they've basically put scaffolding or shrouding around many of them to protect them from bombing.
And, Alisyn, the other day, I have to tell you, when we were returning to Kyiv just now, a kind of chill went through the train because we were all receiving word of possibly bombing tonight. People advising us to sleep close or inside the bomb shelter.
And that has to do with possible retaliation from the sinking of that Russian ship, the "Moskva." But we've been warned that it could be a very, very difficult night.
CAMEROTA: And you take that seriously, those threats?
BOCIURKIW: Oh, absolutely. I don't think I've said this before on air, but I'm not -- after what I saw today, Alisyn, is that I don't see anything holding back Mr. Putin in his twisted mind of leveling other Ukrainian cities.
And I think what's going to happen, what they weren't able to achieve on the ground with ground forces, they will use with long-range cruise missiles.
And that's why I wrote is that CNN piece is that no city, town or village in Ukraine is safe at the moment as long as the Russians have the capability to use the long-range missiles, like they have done in outskirts of Kyiv and elsewhere.
The West really has to wake up to the fact that Ukraine needs the ability to protect its own skies. Otherwise, this is the scene we're going to be in for a long time to come.
And so, Michael, I mean that's sort of the gist of your piece on CNN.com. You say that Putin has now moved the goal posts and the U.S. must respond in kind. But what does that mean?
[14:59:53]
BOCIURKIW: Well, I'm not calling for boots on the ground because I don't think that's palpable to most of the American public, and you know, voters in other European countries.
